38 year old Michael Gorley was last seen in Stanford, Kentucky on May 17, 2015. He disappeared after leaving his friend’s house on foot, headed towards Junction City.
Background
Michael Keith Gorley was born on December 22, 1976 to mother Sandra Hasty.
At the time of his disappearance he was living with his mother on McKinney Ridge Road in Stanford, Kentucky.
Five days prior to his disappearance, Michael was released from jail following a traffic stop where all four occupants of a car were arrested on drug trafficking charges. Michael and one other person were released after a grand jury failed to indict them. The two others from the car were convicted.
Disappearance
On the morning of May 17, 2015, Michael Gorley told his mother Sandra he was going to a friend’s house, then left their home in a grey 2001 Ford Explorer.
Between 3:30 – 4:00 pm, two women showed up at Sandra’s house, saying Michael had driven his vehicle into a pond on Wilderness Trail Road and that the property owner wanted it removed. When she arrived at the scene the vehicle was not submerged, but it did have two tires in the pond. Michael was nowhere to be seen.
Michael’s family retrieved the truck and started calling around to find out where he had gone.
Between 8:30 – 9:00 pm, Michael was last seen at a friend’s house in the 5000 block of Knob Lick Road (Highway 300) in Stanford, Kentucky.
His friends say he left on foot and headed towards Junction City, about two miles away. However, when his mother called around 11:00 pm the homeowner said he was still there.
When Michael failed to return home that night his mother and sister went to the house on Knob Lick Road to look for him. They found his hat and shoes sitting on the porch, but Michael was nowhere to be found.
After being unable to find him at the house, Michael’s mother flagged down a State Trooper and reported him missing.
Investigation
Authorities didn’t take the disappearance seriously at first, according to his family. Telling them he was an adult man, and could take off on his own if he wanted.
Michael’s friends told his mother and sister that he had left between 8:30 – 9:00 pm on the night of May 17, though his mother doesn’t believe he would have gone anywhere without his shoes.
“My son didn’t go anywhere barefoot,” she said in 2023. “He wouldn’t even walk in the house barefoot.”
In the days following his disappearance Michael’s family searched for him, walking up and down the roads in the area where he was last seen, with little to no help from police.
His mother put his shoes and hat in plastic bags, and kept them for evidence, however they weren’t collected until Detective Frank Thornberry was assigned to Gorley’s case, six months after he disappeared.
Thornberry has conducted over 50 interviews with people and continues to investigate the case, though he says it’s a difficult one since no remains have been found.
His family believes he was mu*rdered. “Sad part of it is, he was among people he thought was his friends,” Gorley’s mother Sandry Hasty said. “He even graduated with one of them.” She believes Michael’s truck was driven to the pond by the individuals responsible for his disappearance, who were trying to get rid of evidence.
Gorley’s family has hired a private investigator, who works independently of State Police, to try and find answers. To date no arrests have been made in connection with his disappearance.
Whereabouts
The location of Michael Gorley, as well as the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, remains unknown. His case is classified as endangered missing and remains unsolved.
Appearance
White male born on December 22, 1976. Michael has brown hair, brown eyes, stands 5’10 – 6’0 tall, and weighs 230 pounds. He had a goatee at the time of his disappearance.
Michael has an inch long scare on the right side of his jaw, an inch long scar on his right wrist, as well as a scar on the right side of his hairline and one on his eyebrow. He also has an appendectomy scar on his abdomen.
He has several tattoos; “Gorley” in blue ink on his upper right arm, “Stephanie” on the inside of his right forearm, a cross on his upper left arm, “M” in blue, green, and orange on the right side of his chest, and a Chinese symbol on his calf.
Clothing & Accessories:
Michael was last seen wearing blue and white swim trunks with a Hawaiian print, black Crocs, and a camouflage print hat with the “Team Realtree” logo in white print (photo below).
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Michael Gorley please contact the Kentucky State Police at (859) 623-2404.
