Disappearance of Hannah Upp

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Hannah Upp
Find Hannah Upp.jpg
Born(1984-11-29)November 29, 1984
DisappearedSeptember 14, 2017
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Status Missing for 8 years, 4 months and 14 days

The disappearance of Hannah Upp is an unsolved missing person case. Upp is commonly referred to as "the woman who went missing three times" by the media. Upp first disappeared in August 2008 in New York and was found in September 2008 in a river, [1] again in September 2013 in Maryland, [2] and went missing a third and final time in 2017 in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. [3] Upp suffered from dissociative fugue, a rare psychiatric condition characterized by reversible amnesia regarding one's identity, often accompanied by unexpected travel or wandering. In some cases, individuals may assume a new identity and be unable to recall personal information from before the onset of symptoms. [4]

Contents

Disappearances

First disappearance in 2008

The first disappearance occurred on August 28, 2008. Then 23-year-old Hannah Upp was last seen leaving her apartment to go for a jog. She had recently begun a new job as a teacher at Thurgood Marshall Academy in Harlem. Upp missed her first day of work and was later reported missing. Upp's keys, wallet, ID and other belongings were left behind. [1] For 19–20 days she was missing. During that time, she was spotted in several places such as an Apple Store in Midtown Manhattan where she logged into her email, and at gyms, but she didn't seem to recognize who she was or why people were searching for her. [5]

On September 16, 2008, the crew of a Staten Island Ferry discovered Upp lying face-down in the water. She was rescued alive and was taken to the hospital where she was treated for dehydration and hypothermia. [6]

After her discovery, she was diagnosed with dissociative fugue, a rare form of amnesia where a person temporarily loses their knowledge of their identity, and may travel or act without memory of who they are. [5] [7]

Second disappearance in 2013

In 2013, then 28-year-old Hannah Upp was working as an assistant teacher at a Montessori school in Maryland. On September 3, 2013, Upp was reported missing from her job. Her wallet and phone had been found on a footpath. [2] On September 5, 2013, Upp was found in the Wheaton-Glenmont, Maryland area after borrowing a stranger's phone and calling her mother. Upp told police she did not remember where she was or how she had gotten there. [8]

Third and final disappearance in 2017

In 2017, Hannah Upp relocated to the U.S. Virgin Island of Saint Thomas, taking a new teaching position. In September 2017, Saint Thomas was struck by Hurricane Irma and was preparing for Hurricane Maria. On September 14, 2017, Upp was last seen leaving her home around 8 a.m., reportedly planning to go swimming at Sapphire Beach. Upp missed a scheduled school meeting and was reported missing. [9] Her car was found parked near the beach, with her belongings untouched, including her wallet, phone, passport and other personal items. [3]

Initial searches were hampered by the approaching hurricane conditions. Extended search efforts by local authorities, family and friends took place in the following weeks. As of 2017, Hannah Upp is still missing. [10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Teacher, 23, disappears into thin air". New York Daily News. 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  2. 1 2 "The haunting true story of Hannah Upp, the woman who disappeared three times". Mamamia. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  3. 1 2 "Hannah Upp, Young Teacher, Goes Missing After Hurricane". Yahoo News. 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  4. ↑ Goldstein, E. Bruce (2019). Cognitive psychology : connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (5E ed.). Boston, MA, USA: Cengage. ISBN   978-1-337-40827-1. OCLC   1055681278.
  5. 1 2 "A Life, Interrupted (Published 2009)". The New York Times . 2009-02-27. Archived from the original on 2025-12-19. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  6. ↑ ChungShare, Jen (2009-03-01). "Missing Teacher Goes Back to Find Where She Started". Gothamist. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  7. ↑ "Hannah Upp Tells The NYT She Doesn't Remember A Thing. Reporters Forget To Check". the nytpicker. 2009. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  8. ↑ Mimica, Mila; Jones, Erica (2013-09-03). "Md. Woman With Rare Form of Amnesia Located". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
  9. ↑ "Hurricane Maria: Hannah Upp, Young Teacher With Rare Form of Amnesia, Goes Missing on St. Thomas". Newsweek .
  10. ↑ "Hannah Emily Upp". The Charley Project. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
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