The Disappearance of Khoi Dang Vu
Khoi Dang Vu was a vulnerable 25 year old man who disappeared from his family’s home in the Vancouver, Washington, area during the early morning hours of April 7, 2007. His disappearance initially appeared to be a case involving a young man who may have wandered away, but the investigation eventually took a far more troubling direction. Authorities now believe Khoi was likely the victim of homicide and that his remains may have been discarded in a dumpster before being transported to a landfill near Boardman, Oregon.
Khoi was deaf from birth, unable to speak and intellectually disabled. Although he could perform certain everyday activities and had some independence, his disabilities made him especially vulnerable. He relied on familiar surroundings, family members and established routines. His disappearance during a night of heavy rain, without his bicycle or favorite jacket, was immediately unusual.
Despite searches, media coverage and years of investigation, Khoi has never been found. No person has been arrested or publicly identified as responsible for his presumed death. The case remains an unresolved cold case, leaving his family without answers and investigators searching for the information needed to determine exactly what happened inside the critical hours before he vanished.
Khoi’s Life Before His Disappearance
Khoi Dang Vu was born on July 26, 1981, in Vietnam. He later became an American citizen and lived with members of his family in the Orchards area of Clark County, near Vancouver, Washington.
Khoi had been deaf since birth and could not speak. He understood written English and could communicate through writing, gestures and a limited amount of American Sign Language. He did not understand Vietnamese, even though he had been born in Vietnam…