[UPDATE Monday: Located Safe] Mystery and Heartbreak as Fort Bragg Wife Desperately Searches for Missing Husband

Michael Kleppe [Image from his wife]

Michael’s wife, Shirley Kleppe, described the heartbreaking situation that began last Thursday. She last spoke to her husband about 10 a.m. at work and he seemed normal. Her daughter who also works at Sherwood Oaks didn’t notice anything odd either. Shirley then picked up her grandson at 3:15 p.m. and then her daughter from Sherwood Oaks about 3:30. Michael, who was scheduled to leave work around 4 p.m., simply disappeared.

“When I called his job, they said his car was there but Mike was not,” Shirley said. When they rushed to Sherwood Oaks by about 4:30 p.m., they found troubling clues: on Michael’s work desk, he had left an envelope containing a letter. In it, he expressed despair and, according to Shirley, provided some directions on how she would be taken care of. He left behind his phone, credit cards, and the key to their storage unit in Paradise, the town they fled after fleeing the results of the Camp Fire three years ago.

Shirley says she immediately contacted the Fort Bragg police, and a missing person report was filed. Shirley said that officers began checking with bus drivers and flagged other transportation with a BOLO for her husband, but Michael has not been located.

However, one coworker reported seeing Michael at the intersection of Oak and Main Streets around 7 p.m. the night he disappeared, acting unusually. First, crossing the street and then doubling back.

Shirley says he is likely wearing a blue jean jacket with a sheepskin lining, Levi jeans, and possibly a brown T-shirt. He also wears eyeglasses attached to a neck strap, similar to the one seen in the photo released by police a little after 5 p.m.

Michael had withdrawn money from the couple’s bank account before disappearing, a move that family members say was completely out of character for the soft-spoken man.

“He’s such a good guy. He doesn’t have a mean streak in his body. He’d do anything for anybody,” Shirley said, her voice breaking.

This is not the first time Michael has struggled. After the Camp Fire, he once disappeared briefly but was persuaded to return home after Shirley was able to reach him by phone. This time, however, he has left his phone behind and Shirley is extremely worried. She has spent every day since Michael’s disappearance searching for him across Fort Bragg, checking motels and campgrounds. So far, there have been no confirmed sightings other than the first evening.

“It’s cold at night,” Shirley said, worried. Michael loved camping, but no camping gear is missing from their home, making it unlikely he planned to spend time outdoors.

Michael is described as 5’7” tall, weighing around 180 pounds, with scars on his right leg and no tattoos.

The Fort Bragg Police Department is asking for the public’s help. Anyone who sees Michael or knows anything about his whereabouts is urged to call (707) 964-0200 immediately.

For Shirley and her family, every hour that passes deepens the mystery — and the heartbreak.

UPDATE Monday: Michael has been located safe.