Two people with two very different stories have vanished without a trace in Los Angeles.
Heidi Planck seemed to be living the California dream – she drove a top of the line Range Rover, lived in a beautiful house and had a great co-parenting relationship with her ex-husband. They worked together to raise their 11 year-old son.
On October 17, 2021, Heidi loaded her labradoodle named Seven into her Range Rover and she drove to watch her son’s football game in Downey. Her ex was also there, and he said she seemed ‘edgy’. She left the game without warning at half time and has not been seen again. Seven was found wandering around the 28th floor of an upscale apartment complex in downtown LA later that day. Heidi’s car was found parked nearby. Heidi remains missing to this day, despite extensive searches of landfill by the LAPD.
Heidi’s case is a complex one that involves fraud, FBI raids, CCTV images and there are many plausible scenarios for what may have happened to her. Could her disappearance be related to a fraud scheme that was being carried out by the company she worked for? There are also whispers that Heidi may have overdosed during a party and that her body may have been disposed of down a garbage chute. Or did Heidi leave her complicated life behind?
Beau Mann was known to be an entrepreneur. He founded a social network for recovering addicts, ‘Sober Grid’. He had been interviewed by Forbes Magazine about his own sobriety. Things were looking good for Beau – he had recently started taking a salary from his company and he seemed on track for big things.
Beau had just returned to his home in LA after spending Thanksgiving with his family in Texas. He was last seen on CCTV on November 30, 2021 at a 7-11. It is believed that Beau got into an Uber, and less than 10 minutes later, he sent a 9-11 text from his phone. Beau has not been seen since that time. The Uber driver is adamant that Beau was dropped off at his apartment. Beau’s family have combed through hours of CCTV and have said that Beau never entered the apartment complex again.
LAPD have suggested to Beau’s family that he may be undergoing a ‘digital detox’. This is an idea the family flat out refuse to entertain and say that Beau would never leave his company unattended for this long. Beau’s mother is worried that he has suffered a relapse or a mental health crisis. Another theory is that Beau may have been harmed for his belongings – he was carrying phones and computers at the time he vanished.
As of February 2022, both Heidi and Beau remain missing. This episode of the True Crime Society podcast tells their stories.