Strassburger was reported missing to the Le Claire, IA police on August 6, 1982. At about 24:15, on July 28, 1982, Strassburger left the Rock Island Arsenal where he worked as a machinist. His abandoned car was found 29 minutes later on the LeClaire bridge. Strassburger's car was found about 15 miles from the route he normally would take from work to the home where he lived with his parents in Davenport. Several sweeps of the Mississippi River and various land searches shortly after the man's disappearance yielded no clues. Subsequent searches within the past 18 years also have come up empty. Foul play is not suspected.