He Vanished for 12 Years—Then Came Back With a Billion-Dollar Secret
In 2009, the small town of Maple Falls, Washington, was shaken when 27-year-old Alan Whitaker vanished without a trace. A mild-mannered software engineer known for his reclusive behavior and genius-level intellect, Alan wasn’t the kind of man to disappear willingly. The day he left, he told his mother he was going for a weekend hike in the Cascades. He never returned.