Key facts
- Name: Keith Schmidt
- Born: c. 1970–1971
- Age at disappearance: 53
- Last seen: May 20, 2024, morning
- Location: Dickinson, North Dakota (his home)
- Height / build: (per NamUs MP123952) adult male
- Status: Still missing — active investigation; new evidence released July 2026
- Investigating agency: Dickinson Police Department
The morning he didn’t leave
On the morning of May 20, 2024, Keith Schmidt — a 53-year-old floor installer, well-liked in Dickinson, North Dakota — vanished from his own home.
Everything he would have taken with him stayed behind: his truck. His trailer. His phone. A man whose livelihood was installing floors, whose truck and trailer were his work, left the tools of his life in the driveway and walked out of the frame.
His family says it is completely out of character. Police conducted extensive searches around his home. They found nothing — and, notably, no evidence to suggest foul play either. Just absence.
In July 2026, more than two years later, the case broke back into the news: NewsNation’s “Missing” series, hosted by Marni Hughes, aired a segment on Keith with never-before-seen footage shared by police — believed to show the moments before the 53-year-old vanished. Freelance journalist and professor Eric Grabowsky, who has spent countless hours on the case, joined the segment. The family’s hope, as always: that someone who saw Keith around the time of his disappearance will come forward.
Who Keith was
Keith Schmidt was a working man in a working town — a floor installer in Dickinson, in the heart of North Dakota’s oil country. The kind of person neighbors describe as well-liked and reliable. The Dickinson Press has followed the case since the beginning; volunteers resumed organized searches a full year after he disappeared, in May 2025, and the community has not let go.
The Dakota Spotlight podcast — the same investigative series that reinvestigated Barbara Cotton, Kristin Diede and Bob Anderson, and Michele Julson — devoted an episode to retracing the days before Keith was last seen, with reporting from those who knew him best.
This is not a cold case from another century. It is a developing one. The footage released in 2026 means police are still working it, still looking, still asking.
Theories: what might have happened
Foul play. The default suspicion when a man vanishes leaving his truck, trailer, and phone — everything — behind. But police have said they found no evidence of foul play, and extensive searches turned up nothing. It remains possible; it remains unproven.
A voluntary walk-away. People do sometimes leave their lives. But Keith left the instruments of his livelihood and never touched his phone, his truck, or his accounts again. His family is adamant it is out of character. Nothing supports it.
An accident or medical event. A man on foot, without his phone, in the badlands around Dickinson — an injury, a fall, a sudden medical crisis could leave no trace if no one saw it happen. The searches found nothing, but the country around Dickinson is vast.
The footage. The 2026 release of never-before-seen video — “believed to be the moments before” he vanished — is the case’s sharpest edge right now. What it shows has not been fully described publicly. Someone may recognize something in it.
Have information?
Contact the Dickinson Police Department at 701-456-7759, Badlands Crime Stoppers at 701-840-6808, or leave a tip at dickinsonpd.com/crimestoppers. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- c. 1970–1971 — Keith Schmidt is born.
- May 20, 2024, morning — Last seen at his home in Dickinson, ND. His truck, trailer, and phone are left behind.
- May 2024 — Dickinson police conduct extensive searches; no evidence of foul play found.
- May 2025 — Volunteers resume organized searches one year after the disappearance.
- 2025 — Dakota Spotlight investigates the case.
- July 2026 — NewsNation’s “Missing” airs new police footage believed to show Keith’s last moments; journalist Eric Grabowsky joins the appeal for witnesses.
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Is Keith Schmidt still missing?
Yes. Keith Schmidt has been missing since the morning of May 20, 2024 — more than two years. The Dickinson Police Department’s investigation is active.
What new evidence was released in Keith Schmidt’s case?
In July 2026, NewsNation’s “Missing” series aired never-before-seen footage shared by Dickinson police, believed to show the moments before Keith vanished. Police have not fully described what the footage shows.
Did Keith Schmidt take anything when he disappeared?
No — and that is what makes the case so strange. His truck, his work trailer, and his phone were all left behind at his home. His family says leaving everything is completely out of character.
Is foul play suspected in Keith Schmidt’s disappearance?
Police have said they found no evidence of foul play, but they have not ruled it out. Extensive searches around his home found no trace of him.
How old would Keith Schmidt be today?
Keith was 53 when he vanished in May 2024 — he would be 55 now.
How can I help?
Share this case file, especially the 2026 footage appeal. Anyone who saw Keith around May 20, 2024, should contact the Dickinson Police Department at 701-456-7759 or Badlands Crime Stoppers at 701-840-6808.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Dickinson Police Department (701-456-7759); Badlands Crime Stoppers (701-840-6808); NamUs MP123952.
- News: NewsNation, “Missing” with Marni Hughes (July 2026); The Dickinson Press (“What happened to Keith Schmidt”; volunteer search coverage, May 2025).
- Reference: NamUs listing MP123952.
- Media: Dakota Spotlight — “The Mysterious Disappearance of Keith Schmidt” (podcast).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.