Disappearance of Weldon Kees (Nebraska)
Weldon Kees, an American poet, painter, musician, and filmmaker, disappeared on July 18, 1955, in Marin County, California. His car was found abandoned near the Golden Gate Bridge, with his watch, wallet, and sleeping bag missing from his apartment. His body was never recovered, and his fate remains a mystery, with speculation ranging from suicide to starting a new life in Mexico. He is officially considered missing.
Timeline
Want updates on this thread?
Track this story2026
1 update
2026
1 updateWhile police were searching Weldon Kees's apartment after his disappearance, the phone rang but no one was on the other end.
2025
1 update
2025
1 updateA new catalog of Weldon Kees's work from the collection of poet Dana Gioia has been released, bringing fresh attention to the poet and his enduring mystery. This catalog showcases Gioia's collection of Kees's materials.
2023
1 update
2023
1 updateIn 2023, a collection of Kees's materials, including manuscripts, diaries, audio recordings, radio scripts, and letters, was donated to University.
via unl.edu
2022
1 update
2022
1 updateThree days before his disappearance, Weldon Kees reportedly confessed to attempting to jump from the Golden Gate Bridge but losing his nerve. This provides insight into his state of mind prior to vanishing.
via youtube.com
2017
2 updates
2017
2 updatesWeldon Kees reportedly had plans for the coming weeks before his disappearance, a detail not previously noted in the existing information about his case.
After Kees's disappearance, his mother donated his literary estate to Lincoln City Libraries. The collection includes papers collected from Kees' apartment by his parents after his disappearance, as well as photographs.
2003
1 update
2003
1 updateJames Reidel published a biography of Kees titled 'Vanished Act: The Life and Art of Weldon Kees.'
via roseannetsullivan.substack.com·en.wikipedia.org·knewz.com·thelondonmagazine.org·towntopics.com
1986
1 update
1986
1 updateA volume of Kees's correspondence, 'Weldon Kees and the Midcentury Generation: Letters, 1935–1955,' was published by the University of Nebraska Press.
via roseannetsullivan.substack.com·en.wikipedia.org·knewz.com·thelondonmagazine.org·towntopics.com
1960
1 update
1960
1 updateDonald Justice, a poet who admired Kees's work, compiled and edited 'The Collected Poems of Weldon Kees,' which was subsequently released as a trade paperback.
via roseannetsullivan.substack.com·en.wikipedia.org·knewz.com·thelondonmagazine.org·towntopics.com
1955
2 updates
1955
2 updatesKees's 1954 Plymouth Savoy was found abandoned in a parking lot on the Marin County side of the Golden Gate Bridge, with the keys in the ignition. A search of his apartment revealed his cat, Lonesome, and a pair of red socks soaking in the sink, but his watch, wallet, sleeping bag, and savings account book (containing $800) were missing.
via en.wikipedia.org·latimes.com·towntopics.com·coilhouse.net·thelondonmagazine.org
Kees had drinks with his friend Michael Grieg, discussing plans to either commit suicide or move to Mexico.
via en.wikipedia.org·latimes.com·towntopics.com·coilhouse.net·thelondonmagazine.org
1954
1 update
1954
1 updateWeldon Kees separated from his wife, Ann.
via roseannetsullivan.substack.com·en.wikipedia.org·knewz.com·thelondonmagazine.org·towntopics.com
1914
1 update
1914
1 updateHarry Weldon Kees was born in Beatrice, Nebraska.
via en.wikipedia.org·latimes.com·towntopics.com·coilhouse.net·thelondonmagazine.org
1955
Story began · 71 years, 8 mo ago