Key facts
- Name: Marble Ace Arvidson
- Age at disappearance: 17
- Last seen: August 27, 2011, early afternoon
- Location: 503 Marlboro Road, West Brattleboro, Vermont (foster home)
- Height / build: 6’2″, 165 lbs, shoulder-length blond hair, blue eyes; often wore a black bowler hat
- Status: Still missing
- Investigating agency: Brattleboro Police Department
The knock at the door
Around 1:15 on the afternoon of Saturday, August 27, 2011, someone knocked on the door of the red house at 503 Marlboro Road in West Brattleboro — beside the Chelsea Royal Diner — where seventeen-year-old Marble Arvidson lived with foster parents and another child. A housemate heard Marble answer and invite the unknown man inside. Nobody recognized the visitor.
A little while later, Marble left with him. He left a note saying he’d be back shortly — one account says twenty minutes, another that he wrote he was with the “Gremlin Hoard” and would return within the hour. He had a date with his girlfriend at 4 p.m. He was supposed to start his senior year of high school in days.
He never came back. The man at the door has never been identified.
That night the rain began. By Monday, when Marble was reported missing, Tropical Storm Irene had torn through southern Vermont — downtown Brattleboro under feet of water, roads washed out, bridges gone, communications down. The Brattleboro Reformer reported his disappearance on Wednesday, but washed-out roads kept the paper from circulating. His mother, Sigrid Arvidson, and his aunt Trish Kittredge — a command sergeant major in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, who organized the search — hand-delivered newspapers to every surrounding town they could reach.
Fifteen years later, the storm is history. Marble is still gone.
Who Marble was
Marble Ace Arvidson was 17, a senior-to-be at Brattleboro Union High School, considering colleges including the University of Vermont. He’d been in foster care since his freshman year, living with his second family at the time, but he stayed close to his first foster mother, visiting her several times a week. He was a good student. He was an avid hiker — he took his hiking boots when he left that day. He didn’t own a cell phone. He had special needs, and his family describes him as vulnerable.
Everyone who knew him said the same thing: he was happy, he had plans, he had no reason to run. His family believes the “Gremlin Hoard” note was his way of saying he was going out partying — not a goodbye.
The investigation
The case was poisoned by timing. Irene didn’t just delay the search — it swallowed it. Rumors filled the vacuum, the most persistent being that Marble must be stranded in hard-hit Dover. That was checked and quashed. Extensive searches of the area turned up no sign of him.
The central, unanswered question has never changed: who knocked on that door? In fifteen years, the visitor has never been identified. Marble’s family maintains a tip line (802-257-9111) and the website FindMarble.org, and in 2011 posted a $2,500 family reward for information. The Brattleboro Police Department still carries the case. On the 14th anniversary in August 2025, WCAX and the Deerfield Valley News both marked the day — “the teenager left behind in Irene’s chaos.”
Theories: what might have happened
Foul play by the unknown visitor. The theory the circumstances point to hardest: Marble left with someone no one can identify, hours before a historic storm, and was never seen again. Supports it: the unidentified man, the note, the total absence of any subsequent trace. Undercuts it: no evidence of what happened after they left together — no witness, no forensic trail.
Swept away by Irene. The storm arrived within hours of his disappearance, and he was an avid hiker who’d taken his boots. Supports it: the timing is exact, and floodwaters killed and displaced people across the region. Undercuts it: extensive searches found no sign of him or his body, and the theory doesn’t explain the unknown visitor.
Voluntary disappearance. His loved ones reject it completely — uncharacteristic, they say, of a happy teenager with a girlfriend date that afternoon and senior year ahead. He left no indication of planning to leave, and has never contacted anyone since.
Have information?
Contact the Brattleboro Police Department at (802) 257-7950, or the family’s tip line at (802) 257-9111. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- 1994 — Marble Ace Arvidson is born.
- 2008 — Enters foster care as a high-school freshman.
- August 27, 2011, ~1:15 p.m. — Answers the door to an unknown man at 503 Marlboro Road, West Brattleboro; leaves with him, leaving a note.
- August 27, 2011, 4:00 p.m. — Misses his date with his girlfriend.
- August 28, 2011 — Tropical Storm Irene devastates southern Vermont.
- August 29, 2011 — Reported missing amid the state of emergency.
- 2011–present — Searches, rumors (including the Dover theory, quashed), no trace; visitor never identified.
- August 2025 — 14th anniversary coverage (WCAX, Deerfield Valley News).
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Is Marble Arvidson still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Marble Arvidson has been missing for 15 years.
Was Marble Arvidson ever found?
No. No trace of Marble has ever been found.
How old would Marble Arvidson be today?
Marble was 17 in August 2011 — he would be 32 now.
Who was the man at Marble Arvidson’s door?
No one knows. A housemate heard Marble invite an unidentified man inside around 1:15 p.m. on August 27, 2011. In fifteen years, the visitor has never been identified — it remains the case’s central unanswered question.
Did Tropical Storm Irene affect the search for Marble Arvidson?
Profoundly. Irene hit within hours of his disappearance, washing out roads and bridges, cutting communications, and delaying both the missing-person report and the search. Some speculated he was swept away by floodwaters, but searches never found any sign of him.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone with information should contact the Brattleboro Police Department at (802) 257-7950 or the family tip line at (802) 257-9111.
Verification note (October 2026)
Core facts verified against the Charley Project, NamUs/lostnmissing.org (NamUs MP #12955; case 11BB90003), Seven Days (“Inside a Case,” Nov 2011), Dark Downeast (2024), the Deerfield Valley News (Sept 10, 2026), and the Brattleboro Reformer. Details confirmed: August 27, 2011, ~1:15–2:00 p.m. knock (sources vary slightly on the time); unknown male visitor; note (“back in about 20 minutes” / “Gremlin Hoard” variants); 4 p.m. girlfriend date missed; reported missing Monday, August 29; Irene’s impact on the search; foster-care history; mother Sigrid Arvidson and aunt Trish Kittredge’s search leadership; Dover rumor quashed; 6’2″, 165 lbs, shoulder-length blond hair, blue eyes; black clothing and favorite black bowler hat (Seven Days). Added: $2,500 family reward posted in 2011 (lostnmissing.org). No material discrepancies found.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Brattleboro Police Department (802-257-7950); family tip line (802-257-9111); FindMarble.org.
- News: Seven Days, “Inside a Case” (2011); Deerfield Valley News, “The teenager left behind in Irene’s chaos” (Sept 10, 2026); WCAX (14th anniversary, 2025); Brattleboro Reformer.
- Reference: The Charley Project; NamUs; Missing People in America (MPIA 2790).
- Media: Where Are They? podcast, “The Disappearance of Marble Arvidson”; Echo of Evidence (2026).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.