The Caucasian male Kyle Fleischmann has brown hair and green eyes. He was 180 pounds and 6 feet tall when he vanished. Black jeans, a short-sleeved T-shirt, and black dress shoes were the last things he was seen with. Authorities believe he is no longer alive, and he is listed as endangered missing.
Case Background
Kyle was born to Barbara and Dick Fleischmann on September 24, 1983. Kyle is the firstborn child and has a younger brother and sister. As a result of their father’s employment with Fidelity Investments, the family relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2000. Following his graduation from Charlotte Catholic High School, Kyle went on to earn a business administration degree from Elon College in 2006.
Kyle was a warm, dependable, and friendly individual. Anyone could be cheered up by his personality, and he was friendly to everyone. Kyle promised his mother they would beat breast cancer together when she received the diagnosis. He always stood by his mother’s side, loved and supported her, and remained there until he vanished.
On November 8, 2007, Kyle’s best friend Daniel hosted a gathering for Kyle, his mother Barbara, and his sister Noel. After learning Barbara had cancer, the four of them all took a cab to a Dane Cook comedy show. They knew they would be having a few drinks and didn’t want to drive home.
After the show, Barbara and Noel went home and Kyle went with Daniel to a popular bar for the night. They went to the Buckhead Saloon in downtown Charlotte.
What Happened at the Bar?
Kyle and Daniel went to the Buckhead Saloon, but Daniel decided to finish up his tab around one in the morning because he had to work the next day. He decided to ask Kyle if he wanted to leave or stay after noticing Kyle talking to a girl. Because he had made some new friends and wanted to stay a little longer, Kyle said he intended to stay for a while.
Kyle left the bar, according to Daniel, not drunk but still having a good time. Daniel left Kyle behind and assumed he could handle things on his own.
Later, Kyle gets into a fight with two to three men, which is captured on video. Shortly after, Kyle walked out of the bar without his coat or debit card. Even though it was 30 degrees outside when he left at around 2:20 a.m., he didn’t go back inside for either item.
He was seen conversing with the same girl he had been with inside as they crossed College Street (now Fitzgerald Street) while talking. Kyle is thought to have been very drunk when he left the bar and started to cross the street.
The Incident
Later, a different security camera captured Kyle walking alone in the direction of Fuel Pizza. A “everything” pizza in two slices was what Kyle had ordered when he stopped by the pizza shop. Although it wasn’t proven, it’s believed that he had about $6 in cash on him. The cashier at Fuel Pizza recalled Kyle from that night and commented that he appeared intoxicated.
Kyle walked out of the pizza shop and was never seen again. He did begin making calls, the first being at 2:42 in the morning. He attempted to call his father’s work phone, his roommate, his sister, and Daniel in a brief period of time, making a total of eight calls; however, he left no voicemails.
The calls lasted for only a few seconds on average and didn’t seem to be able to ring long enough for anyone to answer. He had a call at 3:38 in the morning.
When Daniel awoke the following morning and noticed Kyle’s car was still in his driveway, he immediately realized something was wrong. He tried calling back after seeing the missed calls from him, but the call went straight to voicemail. Concerned, Daniel called Kyle’s mother and roommates to ask if they knew where he was and to let them know he hadn’t returned from the previous night.
Daniel called the police to report him as a missing person. Daniel created a Facebook page about Kyle’s disappearance, with almost 50,000 people immediately joining the page and sharing Kyle’s photo and information.
The Investigation
The Charlotte community came together as a result of the Facebook page, and hundreds of people gathered to begin looking for Kyle. Police inquired about the patrons at the bar that evening and spoke with nearby cab drivers.
They located and spoke with the pizza shop’s cashier as well. When Kyle’s father heard his order for pizza, he remarked that Kyle always orders it and consumes everything. Although Kyle entered by himself, the cashier claimed not to have seen him leave.
Kyle’s phone pings left a trail from Fuel Pizza down North Davidson Street until 4 a.m., when it’s thought his phone died or was turned off, according to the police who tracked the phone pings. It’s rumored that this neighborhood, and this street in particular, is a very dangerous and violent one. Kyle would never voluntarily venture to this area because he was aware of how dangerous it was there.
His phone places him at Cordelia Park’s entrance, which is known for drug and gang activity. The distance between the park and the Buckhead Saloon is about two miles. This indicates that he would have needed to walk for 35 to 40 minutes without a coat in 30 degree weather.
A cab driver who saw a young man resembling Kyle walking down North Davidson Street around the 1100 block that morning was able to provide information to a private investigator who had been hired by Kyle’s parents. Given how chilly it was outside and the absence of a coat, he found it strange.
Cadaver Dogs
Two cadaver dogs were sent by the police to search. To obtain more accurate results, they only used one dog at a time. The jacket Kyle was wearing when he left it at the bar gave the dogs his scent. The canines led their owners to Fuel Pizza and then made a wide circle around it on the sidewalk.
This gave some the impression that he thought someone was tailing him and wanted to try and get away from them. The dogs and their owners then continued walking down North Davidson Street. Once they got to the park, they had to stop because the situation was too risky for the dogs and handlers.
The next day, the handlers took the dogs back and picked up where they had left off. The dogs tracked Kyle’s scent past the park and into a construction area about 200 yards away. The handler claimed when they got close to the construction site she could smell death. She said it was a very strong scent of a de*ad animal—or possibly a human.
She took the dogs all over the site to try and track down the source of the smell, but they were unsuccessful. Both dogs took the same path, and at the construction site, they brought in more dogs to help search the large area, but found nothing. Residents of the area also complained about the foul odor that smelled like a large dea*d animal, but nothing was done about it.Residents of the area also complained about the foul odor that smelled like a large dea*d animal, but nothing was done about it.
One of the handlers mentioned that they had started chatting with a homeless man on North Davidson Street. The homeless man claimed to have witnessed gang members kil*ling Kyle that evening in the park, though he was unsure of what happened to the body.
Sealed Documents
A search warrant was issued in 2009 by a federal judge for the building site at North Davidson Street and 16th Street. Although the area was searched, the judge kept the documents from the public. At the time, it is unknown if they were successful in their search. It was noted that the ATF, which is typically only involved in cases involving drug, gang, or gun violence, was also involved in this case.
The FBI is also involved in this case, and the case files have since been sealed. This might be the result of locating fresh proof or a crucial witness. Kyle’s bank account has also shown no activity, and his phone has never been turned back on.
Contact Information
While authorities and Kyle’s family believe him to no longer be alive, they still have never located a body or found who ki*lled him. If you have any information concerning Kyle Fleischmann, please call the numbers listed below. No tip is too small.
- Crime Stoppers 704-334-1600
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department 704-334-7600
