U.S. Navy Veteran Disappears After Having 'Religious Experience'

LANSING (WWJ) - Could religion have played a role in the disappearance of a Lansing man who was last seen nearly a month ago?

Mark Luplow said he was getting a haircut on June 24 but since that day, no one has seen or heard from the 33-year-old U.S. Navy veteran.

The day he went missing, Luplow told his girlfriend of five years, Felicia Miller, that he was going to Mount Pleasant for a haircut. Miller didn't think much of it -- the couple used to live in Mount Pleasant. But after not hearing from Luplow for several hours, Miller started to get worried. She checked the garage of their home in the 4100 block of Chickory Lane in Lansing and realized Luplow's vehicle was still in the driveway.

Miller said Luplow had been talking about having a religious experience just before he disappeared.

"On June 20, he had, like, an out-of-body experience that I would describe as a spiritual awakening. He looked kind of gone for a minute and then he came back. But, I don't know what he was going through," Miller told WWJ's Charlie Langton.

Since his disappearance, family members say there hasn't been any activity on Luplow's credit cards or bank accounts. Still, they're holding out hope that Luplow is out there, alive.

"I really, truly believe that it's spiritual," Miller said. "He's trying to become more spiritually involved. I think he's trying to find a new life of God."

According to the missing persons report, Luplow was currently taking new medication that might have been causing "delusional and suicidal behaviors." Police tracked Luplow's cellphone but didn't uncover any concrete findings.

Lansing police say Luplow's disappearance remains under investigation. His family is offering a reward for any information in the case, and provides regular updates on a Facebook page.

Luplow is 5'6" tall and 170 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He has a tribal tattoo on his left bicep and another tribal tattoo on his upper back. He was last seen wearing a blue t-shirt, cargo shorts and flip-flops.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police at 517-483-6856.