Michael Taus Missing: 25-Year-Old Man and Dog Romeo Vanished After Online Date in 2010

WEST ISLIP, NEW YORK — More than 16 years after Michael Russel Taus left his West Islip home for what his family understood to be a date with a woman he had met online, there is still no confirmed answer about what happened to him.

Taus was 25 years old when he disappeared on June 18, 2010.

He did not leave alone.

His beloved pit bull, Romeo, went with him. The dog’s food and water bowls were also gone from the apartment, suggesting that Michael expected to be away with his dog.

Neither Michael nor Romeo has been located.

Michael Taus Left for an Online Date

According to contemporaneous reporting, Michael had told his parents that he was going to meet a woman he had met through an online dating service.

His father, Russel Taus, recalled speaking with his son before he left. Michael appeared happy and did not give his family any indication that anything was wrong.

His mother, Barbara, later remembered joking with him about meeting people online and reminding him to tell the family where he was going.

Michael never returned home.

As the hours and days passed, his family realized that the disappearance was completely out of character for him.

His Dog Romeo Disappeared Too

One of the most unusual aspects of the case was that Romeo disappeared at the same time.

Michael’s pit bull was not simply left behind at the apartment. His food and water bowls were also missing.

That detail has remained an important part of the case because it indicates that Romeo accompanied Michael when he left.

There has never been a confirmed sighting of either Michael or Romeo after their disappearance.

The Car Was Found Running

Six days after Michael disappeared, authorities located his black 2004 Volkswagen Jetta in Elmont, New York, roughly 30 miles from his West Islip home.

The discovery raised even more questions.

The vehicle had been left with its engine running, but Michael was nowhere around.

Police examined the vehicle but did not find obvious evidence indicating that it had been the scene of a violent crime. Investigators were left with very few clues explaining why the car had been abandoned or where Michael had gone.

The circumstances were so unusual that investigators described the case as deeply puzzling.

No Confirmed Trace Since 2010

Michael’s disappearance has remained unsolved for years.

His case continues to be listed as an endangered missing-person case. Records describe Michael as approximately 6 feet 3 inches tall and 190 pounds, with blond or strawberry-blond hair and blue eyes.

At the time he disappeared, he was 25.

No confirmed information has established where Michael went after leaving West Islip, who he met, or what happened to Romeo.

There has also been no confirmed discovery of Michael’s remains.

A Family Left Without Answers

For Michael’s family, the disappearance created a painful uncertainty that has lasted far beyond the initial search.

In a 2010 interview, his mother expressed how difficult it was to have no knowledge of what had happened to her son. His father likewise continued to appeal for information.

The case attracted public attention because of the unusual combination of circumstances: an online date, a missing man, a missing dog and a car discovered running miles from home.

Yet despite the passage of time, those circumstances have not produced a confirmed explanation.

The Mystery of Michael Taus and Romeo

Michael Taus did not simply disappear from a familiar neighborhood.

He left his home expecting to meet someone he had encountered online, taking his dog with him. Less than a week later, his vehicle was discovered approximately 30 miles away with its engine still running.

Michael was gone.

Romeo was gone.

And there was little evidence inside the vehicle to explain where either had gone.

More than 16 years later, Michael’s disappearance remains an unresolved mystery.

Michael Taus Missing Case Details

Still Missing

Michael Taus has never been confirmed found, and Romeo has never been confirmed found either.

The unanswered questions surrounding that June night remain: Who was the woman Michael planned to meet? Where did he go after leaving West Islip? Why was his car abandoned in Elmont with the engine running? And what happened to Romeo?

For more than 16 years, those questions have remained unanswered.

Anyone with information about Michael Taus or his disappearance is urged to contact the Suffolk County Police Department.

Disclaimer

This article concerns an unresolved missing-person case. Michael Taus’ disappearance remains unsolved, and no definitive conclusion should be drawn about what happened to him or Romeo without verified evidence. Details may be updated if investigators or Michael’s family release new information.