Hannah Upp twice disappeared due to a rare amnesia disorder known as disassociative fugue before she relocated to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, where she disappeared in 2017 for a third time- and hasn’t been seen since.
On August 28, 2008, then 23-year-old Hannah Upp went for a run near her Manhattan apartment. A Staten Island ferry captain found her floating face down in the New York Harbor on September 16, 2008.
Hannah survived the incent, although she had no recollection of events after leaving her apartment for the run. She told reporters it felt like “it had been 10 minutes” since she left her apartment and awoke as paramedics loaded her into an ambulance despite three weeks passing.
How Did Upp Spend Her Time?
It’s unclear exactly how Upp spent the entire time, although surveillance cameras caught her entering a gym to shower, checking her email in an Apple store, and chatting with an old friend. Barbara Bellus, Upp’s mother, instantly knew something was amiss when she viewed the footage of her daughter.
Hannah Upp twice disappeared due to a rare amnesia disorder known as disassociative fugue before she relocated to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, where she disappeared in 2017 for a third time- and hasn’t been seen since.
On August 28, 2008, then 23-year-old Hannah Upp went for a run near her Manhattan apartment. A Staten Island ferry captain found her floating face down in the New York Harbor on September 16, 2008.
Hannah survived the incent, although she had no recollection of events after leaving her apartment for the run. She told reporters it felt like “it had been 10 minutes” since she left her apartment and awoke as paramedics loaded her into an ambulance despite three weeks passing.
How Did Upp Spend Her Time?
It’s unclear exactly how Upp spent her time, although surveillance cameras caught her entering a gym to shower, checking her email in an Apple store, and chatting with an old friend. Barbara Bellus, Upp’s mother, instantly knew something was amiss when she viewed the footage of her daughter.
Diagnosis Dissociative Fugue
She was treated for dehydration and hypothermia at a Staten Island Hospital where doctors also diagnosed her with dissociative fugue, a rare type of amnesia that causes temporary memory loss, which can include forgetting their identity.
The temporary state can last several hours, days, or years.
Most people do strange and unexpected things and end up in unexpected places during one of the attacks. This explains how Upp ended up face-down in the water. Generally, affected people do not remember any of the events that occurred during the temporary state of amnesia.
Psychologists say psychological trauma causes most cases of dissociative fugue. The condition is extremely rare, affecting only 2/10 of the population.
Upp told doctors she had a great childhood and had never experienced a traumatic event. Investigators hypnotized her hoping it would bring back memories but she could not recall any traumatic events.
She had recently graduated college and started teaching at a local school. The new school year was always a stressful time for parents and teachers. She suspected maybe the stress of a new school year brought on the amnesia.
A Relocation & Second Disappearance at the Start of the School Year
Upp blossomed as a school teacher and a person over the next four years. She then relocated to Maryland after accepting a position as a teacher assistant at Maryland Montessori School.
In September 2013, on the first day of school at Maryland Montessori, Upp vanished once again. Her wallet was found on a trail in Kensington near the school.
She called her mother two days later when she woke up in a creek in Wheaton County, Maryland. Once again, Upp felt as though only “10 minutes had passed” since she left her apartment.
Police urged Upp to use a tracker similar to those placed on criminals sentenced to house arrest, although she refused the offer. Upp stated that she did not want to live her life freely and “not imprisoned” by her condition.
Upp Relocated to St. Thomas
In 2014, Upp relocated to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. She resumed a teaching position and lived her best life. Her bubbly personality quickly earned her many friends. Her high level of energy meant she always was always ready to go if fun was on the agenda. She enjoyed and actively participated in dancing, Zumba, and swimming.
Sapphire Beach was her favorite place to swim, dance, and let go of her worries in life.
Hurricane Iram struck the island on September 6, 2017. Upp survived the Category 5 storm, although she had begun acting strangely the days before. Just when it seemed that islanders could piece back their lives, news of another storm circulated. Again preparations were made for the storm.
Upp left her home at 8 a.m. on September 14, 2017, headed for the beach. Early morning swims at Sapphire Beach were her favorite.
She failed to show up for a staff meeting at school later in the day and no one has seen her since.
Detectives located her car parked nearby. Inside they found cash, credit cards, and her passport. Her sandals were found on a stool at a beach bar.
What Happened to Hannah Upp?
In September 2018, an adult skeleton washed ashore on an island near St. Thomas. The body was too decomposed to identify, although some detectives suspect the skeleton is that of Hannah Upp.
More than 5 years have passed since Upp disappeared. There have been no sightings of her since that day. Her mother relocated to St. Thomas to search for her daughter and has kept hope alive that her daughter is out there somewhere.
What do you think happened to Hannah Upp?
Contact the Virgin Islands Police Department at 340–772–5605 if you have any information about the whereabouts of Hannah Upp. Follow the Facebook page “Find Hannah Upp,” for regular case updates or to report any potential information about the case.
