The bus ticket from Boston to Portland was not Miguel Oliveras's idea. Several days before he disappeared, his on-again, off-again girlfriend unexpectedly invited him north to watch her dance at the Platinum Plus Gentleman's Club in Portland, Maine, and according to Portland police she sent him the money for the fare. His mother said he had been reluctant to go. Oliveras was 24 years old, born in Hyde Park, the Boston neighborhood where he lived. He had no ties to Maine and no other stated reason to be there. It was meant to be a brief trip. He went.
Platinum Plus stood on Riverside Street, and police said Oliveras came to Portland to visit the woman, who worked there. In the early hours of September 2, 2006, he was at the club. At some point he was asked to leave. Boston 25 News reported that the girlfriend had him thrown out after he allegedly caused a disturbance while she performed. Portland police put it more mildly: he left the club without incident after being asked to leave.
Around 1:00 a.m., the club's surveillance camera recorded the last known image of Miguel Oliveras. He was wearing a gray camouflage long-sleeved shirt with a white T-shirt over it, green cargo shorts, and white sneakers. Portland Police Detective Lieutenant Nick Goodman later described what the footage showed: Oliveras being escorted out, walking into the parking lot, and never being seen again. After he walked off camera, officials say, there was never another reported sighting of him.
The Man Who Walked Out With Him
The tape held one more thread. Portland police scrutinized the surveillance video in an effort to identify a man who walked out of the club with Oliveras. Authorities later said they identified and interviewed everyone who was at Platinum Plus while Oliveras was there. They also said they still did not know what happened to him.
The case drew attention early. In 2007, only months after Oliveras vanished, Boston 25 reporter Bob Ward traveled to Portland for a New England's Unsolved report on the disappearance. One contrast stood out in the years that followed. After the disappearance, the sister-in-law of Oliveras's mother, Myrna Gonzalez, told Gonzalez that she had spoken with the former girlfriend. Investigators, Boston 25 News reported, had been unable to speak with the former girlfriend or with anyone who had contact with Oliveras in Maine.
Gonzalez formed her own convictions. She believes her son was a victim of foul play, and she believes the former girlfriend lured him to Maine. She said the woman paid for his Greyhound ticket from Boston. In 2024 she told Boston 25 News that she believed her son had been set up for murder. She said she felt someone had hurt him and believed he was somewhere in Maine. She told Bob Ward she does not believe her son is still alive. Authorities, for their part, have said they still do not know what happened to him.
Sixteen Years, Then a Reward on the Table
Sixteen years after Oliveras disappeared, Portland police investigators renewed their efforts to find him. Gonzalez, speaking to Boston 25 at the time, said she had no idea what happened to her son. She said the previous 16 years had been really hard and the most recent year had been horrible, and that she was still searching and seeking, doing what she could nonstop. She said she breaks down a lot but has to keep her composure. She said the situation was heartbreaking and overwhelming, and that she carried a lot of anger and tried to control it.
On the investigative side, Goodman said "positive gains" had been made toward locating Oliveras, and that detectives had contacted the FBI for additional help. A detective said investigators had a working theory about what happened but did not want to share it publicly. Goodman said he hoped Oliveras was alive. He also said it was "logical" to believe Oliveras may be deceased, and that he was probably dead, while acknowledging that investigators did not know this with certainty.
Eighteen years after the disappearance, Portland police and the FBI's Boston Division announced a reward of up to $10,000 for information about Oliveras. The announcement came at a Tuesday news conference at Portland police headquarters on Middle Street. Gonzalez and other family members attended. She stood beside the police, somber, and declined to speak about the case because she feared jeopardizing the investigation.
Portland Police Chief Mark Dubois said the family had been dealing with the disappearance for 18 years and had been relentless in searching for him. FBI agent Christopher Peavey said investigators believe someone knows where Oliveras went after leaving the club, and that the reward might incentivize someone to come forward if nefarious circumstances had occurred. Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston office, said law enforcement had made exhaustive investigative efforts over two decades and had been unable to find him. Authorities declined to comment on whether the ex-girlfriend had cooperated with the investigation.
Away from the podium, Gonzalez did speak. She said the long disappearance had brought more frustration and anger. She said she wanted to find her son and bring him home, and that she needed people to come forward with information.
Where the Case Stands
The FBI has since raised the reward to $25,000 for information leading to the recovery of Miguel Oliveras or his remains. Announcing the increase, Ted E. Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston division, described Oliveras as a son who never came home and described Gonzalez as living between hope and heartbreak. Docks said someone with information was still out there and that even a small detail could make a difference. He said Gonzalez deserves answers, the chance to lay her son to rest, the chance to grieve, and the chance to begin healing.
Gonzalez said that not knowing her son's whereabouts is killing her, and she asked anyone with information to come forward because she needs closure. Officials said there have been no reported sightings of Oliveras in the past 20 years. Dubois said investigators have not closed the case and continue to actively pursue all available leads. He said they hope new information will emerge to bring resolution for the family and accountability for those responsible.
The FBI's Southern Maine Gang Task Force and the Portland Police Department are investigating the disappearance, which the bureau calls suspicious, and are asking the public to help locate Oliveras or his remains. When he was last seen, Oliveras stood 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed about 170 pounds. He is described as Hispanic, with black hair and brown eyes, and he has tattoos on his arms, neck, back, shoulder, and hand. He was last seen in a gray camouflage long-sleeved shirt with a white T-shirt over it, green cargo shorts, and white sneakers. Anyone with information can call the Portland Police Department at 207-874-8584, call FBI Boston at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
