IDAHO FALLS (AP) -- Hobo spider expert Darwin Vest has been missing nearly a year, and family and friends plan to pay tribute to him later this week.
"We are doing this so people don't forget Darwin and other people who have disappeared," said Rebecca Vest, Darwin Vest's sister.Vest, 49, was last seen on June 3, 1999. He disappeared after a weekly trivia night with friends. No one has seen or heard from him since.
Vest owns Eagle Rock Research and spent 31 years studying the poisons produced by plants, animals and other organisms. The Idaho Falls toxinologist has written several articles for science publications on snake and spider bites.
The Idaho Falls Police Department has been investigating Vest's disappearance since last fall, but the case is now largely inactive. Vest is listed as an endangered missing person with the Idaho Missing Person's Clearinghouse, which distributes information on missing people throughout the United States. News of his disappearance is also listed on several Web pages.
Vest is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall and 160 pounds. He has blue eyes and brown hair.