The last known contact Bruce had with his family was on October 19, 2006. On October 21, 2006, Whitford's black GMC Envoy was found parked on Vanderbilt Ave. in Niagara Falls, NY across from the Devil's Hole Gorge (this is his normal access point to the river) where it is assumed he had gone fishing. Search parties made up of the Sheriff's Department, Coast Guard, State Police, and family and friends failed to locate him over that weekend. Subsequent searches of the area have yielded no clue as to what happened to Bruce. He has not been seen or heard from since October 19, 2006.