Missing persons cases are unfortunately common across the globe, often shrouded in sadness and unanswered questions. Yet, the story of Hannah Upp stands apart as a baffling and poignant mystery that confounds investigators and medical experts alike. Hannah, a woman from the United States, vanished not once, but three times. Twice she was found alive, but after her third disappearance in 2017, she has not been seen again. What makes her case all the more enigmatic is its connection to a rare psychological condition—dissociative fugue.

The Mysterious First Disappearance

In August 2008, 23-year-old Hannah Upp left her New York apartment for a routine jog. Hannah was beginning her second year as a middle school teacher and appeared well-adjusted, with no known issues troubling her. But she never returned from that run.

Her sudden disappearance triggered an intensive search, but there were few clues. Among the oddest details: Hannah had left all her belongings behind—including her purse, cash, and credit cards—suggesting no intention to vanish voluntarily. Police initially feared the worst, suspecting foul play.

Nine days later, an acquaintance spotted Hannah at a Manhattan Apple Store. She was wearing running gear, and though she’d been missing for over a week, it looked as if she had just stepped out for a jog. When asked if she was the missing Hannah Upp, she denied it and wandered off. She also appeared at several other locations around the city, including a Starbucks and various sports clubs, sometimes reportedly using the showers there.

Despite being on the move, she seemed disconnected from reality. She didn’t send or read emails during her appearance at the Apple Store, and no one knew why she was there. After 20 days, a Staten Island ferry captain found her floating in the water near the Statue of Liberty. Remarkably, Hannah was alive but confused, sunburned, dehydrated, and suffering hypothermia.

When reunited with family and police, Hannah could not recall any memories from the missing period or even understand where she had been. She asked her mother a disarming question: “Why am I wet?” The only memory she had was her morning run before disappearing.

Diagnosed with Dissociative Fugue

Following extensive medical examinations, Hannah was diagnosed with dissociative fugue—a rare psychological disorder where individuals temporarily lose awareness of their identity and personal history. This condition often compels sufferers to wander, driven by a subconscious urge to escape, yet they retain basic functional skills such as walking, talking, and navigating daily tasks.

Dissociative fugue typically follows traumatic events like abuse, disasters, or psychological stress. However, Hannah and those close to her could identify no recent or past trauma that might have triggered these episodes. Her first experience left her grappling with a profound internal confusion about her identity and past self, illuminating how dissociative disorders challenge our understanding of selfhood.

A Second Disappearance—and a Remarkable Return

Five years later, in 2013, Hannah was living in Maryland, about 200 miles from New York. Soon after starting a new teaching position, she disappeared again. This time, she left behind her purse and cellphone on a wooded trail near her home.

Only two days later, Hannah contacted her mother from an unknown phone number. She had been walking for days and suddenly “woke up” sitting in a dirty creek. Once again, she had no memory of where she had been or how she arrived there. Unlike the first disappearance, this time she appeared to snap out of her fugue state on her own.

Despite police recommendations, Hannah declined to wear a tracking bracelet, a decision that preceded her longest and most troubling disappearance.

The Final Vanishing on St. Thomas

Hannah Upp’s third disappearance happened in 2017 when she was 32 and living on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas. After starting a new teaching job and surviving the devastation of Hurricane Irma, she decided not to evacuate the island despite the threat of another hurricane.

On September 14, 2017, Hannah left her home early in the morning—and was never seen again. Her sandals, dress, and car keys were found abandoned on her favorite beach, and her car was found with her wallet, passport, and cell phone inside. Extensive searches of shores, marinas, hospitals, shelters, and morgues turned up no sign of her.

Her mother traveled to the island to investigate but found no leads. While some hypothesize that Hannah may have fled to other islands or even the mainland, others speculate she might still be wandering the island in another fugue state or tragically may have taken her own life.

The Many Layers Behind Hannah’s Story

Hannah’s case is complicated by her upbringing and personal history. Raised in Oregon by Methodist minister parents, her childhood involved frequent relocations and exposure to missionary work around the world. Internally, Hannah struggled with her identity, especially her sexuality, which conflicted with her strict religious upbringing. Her mother’s own brushes with episodic dissociation suggest a potential genetic or familial predisposition to fugue states, though no definitive link has been established.

Dissociative fugue remains poorly understood, with many unanswered questions about its triggers, underlying causes, and prognosis. The condition can lead people to assume new identities and live entirely different lives temporarily, as seen in historical and modern cases alike. Famous novelist Agatha Christie and several documented individuals have similarly disappeared for days or years, only to reemerge as strangers to themselves.

Where Is Hannah Upp Now?

Despite ongoing efforts by family, friends, and the community, Hannah remains missing. The circumstances raise lingering puzzles: Why do her disappearances always involve proximity to water? Could stress related to new job beginnings play a key role in triggering her fugue states? Might she be alive but completely disconnected from her former life?

Some have questioned the authenticity of her condition, pointing to inconsistencies such as her ability to log into email or enter secure locations during her fugue. However, psychological experts note that while identity is lost, procedural memory—skills like typing or entering buildings—often remains intact in fugue states.

Professor Etzel Cardeña, a psychologist specializing in dissociative disorders, suggests that personality stability is more fragile than commonly believed. Fugue states represent an extreme, but not uncommon, human experience of identity fluidity.

A Story of Mystery, Identity, and Hope

Hannah Upp’s story is both haunting and human. It touches on deep questions about memory, identity, and the mind’s resilience and fragility under stress. While her current whereabouts remain unknown, her tale continues to inspire investigations, conversations, and awareness about dissociative disorders.

Though her fate may never be fully known, Hannah’s legacy reminds us of the complexities of mental health and the mystery still shrouding the human spirit. Her story urges care and compassion for those who disappear from our sight but are never truly gone from our thoughts.