Imagine waking up in the middle of the Hudson River. You’re floating face-down near the Statue of Liberty, and the last thing you remember is going for a morning jog. You don’t know how you got there. You don’t know that three weeks have passed. This isn't a movie plot. It was the reality for Hannah Upp in 2008.
Fast forward to 2017, and the mystery deepens. Somewhere in the chaos of a Category 5 hurricane in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hannah vanished again. This time, she hasn't come back. People ask what happened to Hannah Upp like it’s a riddle, but the answer is buried under layers of rare psychology and tragic timing.
The Girl Who Forgot Herself
Hannah wasn't "running away" in the way we usually think. She suffered from something called dissociative fugue. It’s basically the brain’s emergency eject button. When life gets too heavy or trauma hits too hard, the mind simply checks out. You lose your identity. You might start a new life, go by a different name, and have zero memory of your "real" self.
Her first episode in New York City was terrifying. She was a 23-year-old Spanish teacher at the time. One day she went for a run and just... gone. For twenty days, she lived a shadow life. She checked her email at Apple stores and hung out at Starbucks. Security footage showed her looking totally normal, not like someone in distress. But when the Staten Island Ferry captain spotted her in the water, she had no clue she’d been missing for nearly a month.
What Happened to Hannah Upp in St. Thomas?
By 2017, Hannah had moved to St. Thomas to teach at a Montessori school. She loved the island. She loved the ocean. But then came the hurricanes.
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Hurricane Irma ripped through the Virgin Islands in early September. It was devastating. The island was a wreck, and the pressure was immense. On September 14, 2017—just days before Hurricane Maria was set to strike—Hannah’s car was found at Sapphire Beach.
Inside the car? Everything.
- Her phone.
- Her wallet.
- Her passport.
- Her shoes.
Basically, all the things a person needs to exist in the modern world were left on the dashboard. It looked like she’d just gone for a swim and never returned.
Searching for a missing person in the middle of a literal hurricane is almost impossible. Her friends and local authorities tried, but they had to stop when Maria hit. By the time the skies cleared, the trail was cold. Some people think she drowned. Others, knowing her history, believe she entered another fugue state and wandered off, perhaps even hopping on a boat to another island without knowing who she was.
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A Pattern of Vanishing
To understand why this is so haunting, you have to look at the "middle" time. In 2013, she vanished in Maryland. She was found in a creek two days later. Same story: no memory, no reason, just a total blank.
Psychologists often call dissociative fugue the "Jason Bourne" condition. It’s incredibly rare. Most people who experience it only do it once. Hannah did it three times. The tragedy of what happened to Hannah Upp is that she was essentially a passenger in her own life when these episodes hit.
Her mother, Barbara, hasn't stopped looking. Neither have her friends. There have been "sightings" in Puerto Rico and other islands, but none have panned out. The U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department still has her case open, and her NamUs profile (#MP50503) lists her as a missing person to this day.
The Reality of the Search Today
Honestly, the chances of finding someone in a fugue state years later are slim, but not zero. If she is alive, she likely doesn't know she's "Hannah." She’s just someone else now.
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There are a few key facts that keep the hope alive:
- The Sea: Hannah was a very strong swimmer. While drowning is the most "logical" explanation, those who knew her find it hard to believe the ocean would take her so easily.
- The Timing: Fugue states are often triggered by massive stress. A Category 5 hurricane is the definition of trauma.
- The Absence of a Body: Despite extensive searches of the coastline after the storms, no remains were ever found that matched her description.
Practical Steps If You Encounter a Similar Case
If you ever find yourself in a situation where a loved one seems to be losing their grip on their identity or "zoning out" for long periods, take it seriously. Dissociative disorders often require specialized psychiatric care that goes beyond standard therapy.
If you are following this case or others like it, here is what you can do:
- Check NamUs: If you see someone who looks like a missing person, check the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
- Support Mental Health Awareness: Understanding that "running away" isn't always a choice can help reduce the stigma that prevents people from getting help.
- Report Sightings: For Hannah specifically, any information should go to the Virgin Islands Police at 340-772-5605.
Hannah Upp's story isn't just a true crime mystery. It’s a glimpse into the terrifying fragility of the human mind. Whether she is still out there living a life she doesn't remember or she met a tragic end in the Caribbean Sea, she remains one of the most baffling missing persons cases of our time.