The Disappearance of Logan Schiendelman
For this case I watched an episode of Disappeared. It’s season 9 episode 2, titled ‘Last Words.’
A teenager disappears, leaving behind very few clues.
Background
Logan Drew Schiendelman was born on June 27, 1996. Logan was raised by his grandmother Ginnie, but still had a good relationship with his mom Hannah, who lived nearby in Olympia, Washington. She had left Logan and his older half-sister in the care of Ginnie, so she could attend art school.
Logan was described as popular, a great athlete and student. He played football at Tumwater High School, and helped his team get to two state championships. He was a jokester and loved to make people laugh.
Logan Schiendelman
Identity Crisis
Tumwater, Washington, was a mostly white community, and Logan was born to a mixed woman and a Saudi native man. His grandmother said Logan’s “identity crisis” started when he went to a party. A girl had said something to him in relation to his Saudi native roots. Logan was offended, and didn’t think his friends had his back.
Logan cut off all ties with his former friends, and even dropped out of the college he was going to attend. He told his grandma that he wanted to attend Washington State University. He enrolled, and was excited for the next chapter of his life.
Logan didn’t attend classes, and his grades weren’t good enough to go back the next year. Logan returned to Tumwater, and worked odd jobs to earn extra money.
The Disappearance
On May 19, 2016, Logan arrived home after a night of driving around. His grandma was awake and getting ready to leave for work. Ginnie said that Logan had told her that he had an epiphany, and wanted to talk to her about something. Ginnie said was excited to talk to him about when she got home from work.
When Ginnie arrived home later that evening, Logan and his car were gone. Hours passed, and Logan still wasn’t home. Ginnie decided to ping his phone, and his phone put his near Olympia, where his mother lived.
By the next morning, Logan still wasn’t home, and Hannah told Ginnie that she never saw Logan. Ginnie made several calls, and drove around Tumwater looking for Logan.
By May 21, a Saturday, he still wasn’t home or hadn’t been in contact with anyone. Ginnie said she tried to report Logan missing, but that Thurston County Sheriff’s office didn’t have any staff available. He was reported missing on Monday, May 23.
The Car
The police asked Ginnie if Logan had left in a vehicle, and she said yes, his 1996 black Chrysler Sebring. The police ran a search on his plates, and they discovered it had been impounded on May 20, after the Washington State patrol had found it abandoned on Interstate 5, about 10 miles from his home.
Ginnie went to pick up the car, and inside, she found Logan’s wallet, phone, drivers license, credit cards, $25 in cash, and bags of food.
The police also found that a 911 call had come in about an incident on the highway. The caller said that a car was driving slowly, and veering into various lanes. The car then hit the middle barrier, before stopping on the shoulder. They saw the drivers side door open and close, and the driver climb over and exit the passenger side door. The man was described as a 6’0,” white male.
The police did a ground search, which was expanded to an air search, but nothing was found in the area.
Theories
During the investigation, the police looked into who Logan was in contact with in the previous year. He mostly kept to himself and stayed home. However, he had been talking to a girl he met online. She lived in Oregon, and said they had never met in person.
Drugs- One theory that has come up in Logan’s case is the drug theory. A 911 call had come in on May 21, about a man stumbling on the road in an area known for crackhouses. The caller said that the man was black, and he wasn’t wearing any pants. The police searched the area with dogs, but nothing was found. Ginnie said Logan had recently been smoking weed, but didn’t think he would be into heavier drugs than that.
Running Away- Another theory was that Logan had runaway to meet his birth father, who lived in Saudi Arabia. While the police were searching his phone, they saw a hit that Logan had checked into the Olympia Airport. Logan’s great uncle confirmed that he had learned about his father shortly before he disappeared. The check in had actually been from a year prior, and Logan had not been at the airport.
Logan’s Mental Health- Ginnie said that Logan had seemed very paranoid before his disappearance. He told her that he thought people were looking into his windows, leading him to lock his door. It was suggested that maybe Logan had pissed off some drug dealers, but Ginnie thought he was maybe having some kind of psychotic break. Ginnie said she hoped Logan wouldn’t harm himself, and the police probably would’ve found something by now if that was the case.
A Toxic Home Situation- Logan confided in other family members that he wasn’t happy at Ginnie’s. His half sister Chole, her boyfriend Jake and his kids had all moved in. In 2013, Jake had pleaded guilty to felony assault from a previous relationship. Jake and Logan didn’t get along, but Ginnie said it wasn’t violent.
In October 2016, Jake went to jail after violating his parole. The police took the opportunity to speak to him. They also gave him a polygraph, which he passed. There was no evidence that Jake did anything to Logan, and he denied being involved.
A Family Feud?
As he got older, Logan wanted to learn about the African-American side of his life. It was said in this episode that Ginnie had cut off ties with them after her daughter Hannah, Logan’s mom, was born. Ginnie denied this.
Before Logan left for college, Logan met his great-aunt Tina when he was invited over for dinner. Tina said that they had looked through some pictures, and that Logan told her it was nice to see someone who looked like him. Tina said that Logan had kept it a secret from Ginnie, but Ginnie said Logan had confided in her. Ginnie said Logan had asked her why Tina complained about her.
Ginnie said Tina’s side of the family didn’t try to have a relationship with Logan when he was younger. Tina and Logan stayed in contact over social media, and that he would post things like quotes from black leaders such as Malcolm X. Tina believed Logan left on his own, so that he could live his own life.
Where is Logan?
In June 2017, a new lead came to light. A woman told the police that she had seen Logan’s car on the highway the day he disappeared. She said she saw a black male and a white male. The male was described as being tall, with long blonde hair. A composite sketch was made, but no one ever came forward.
Logan has never been found, and there have been no more leads.
The last person to see Logan?
#JUSTICEFORLOGAN
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think anyone of these theories could be true. I really don’t have much an opinion in this case, and it’s terrible that Logan has never been heard from again. If he is dead, you’d think that the police would find something, but no, it’s a total mystery.
I also don’t know what to make of the family feud. Both women were interviewed in this episode. It makes you think who’s actually telling the truth, and why they would lie if that was the case. Despite this, Logan’s family deserves answers, and hopefully one day this case can be solved.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Logan_Schiendelman
https://charleyproject.org/case/logan-drew-schiendelman
https://themorbidlibrary.com/2021/05/21/the-missing-logan-schiendelman/
https://disappearedblog.com/logan-schiendelman/
