“We live in this space between our grief and our hope” – Where is Mason Roberson?

On May 18, 2024, Mason Roberson was last seen on camera walking away from his home in Anchorage, Alaska, when he was 16 years old. 

Two years later, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is releasing the first age progression image of Mason, offering a glimpse of what he may look like today at 18. Mason’s family and investigators hope this image will help bring Mason home. 

Mason age progressed to 18 years old. (Courtesy of NCMEC)

On the morning of Mason’s disappearance, his father, David Roberson, says he woke up around 5:30 a.m. after hearing movement in the kitchen. When he went downstairs, he found Mason visibly intoxicated, which led to an argument. Mason eventually left the room, but at the time, David did not realize Mason walked out of the house.

“We have a security camera that caught Mason leaving, and that’s when we realized he was gone,” David explained.

Additional footage from a neighbor's camera shows Mason walking to the end of the street. This is the last confirmed sighting of Mason.

“That’s it,” Mason’s mother, Marti Romero, said. “That’s all we have. That’s where it ends.”

Marti and David say this is very out of character for Mason, and they have been at a loss. “We’ve always been a family that does things together,” Marti said. “We go fishing, we frequently spent time outdoors, we do things together.”

Mason and his mother, Marti Romero, and father, David Roberson. (Courtesy of Marti Romero)

Despite the uncertainty, there have been moments that have remained a source of hope.  

Marti shared that she has received two text messages since Mason’s disappearance that she believes may be connected to him.

The first message arrived on Mason’s 17th birthday from a number with a San Pedro, California, area code. It read: “Long time no see, I hope you are all right.” Marti said this text stood out immediately, since this is a phrase their family says often to one another.

A second message was sent on Mother’s Day 2025, this time from a number with a British Columbia, Canada, area code. The text read: “Hi there, I hope you’re doing something fun today.”

Marti responded to both messages hoping for a reply, but she received no response. While there is no confirmation these texts came from Mason, she believes the timing and language are too coincidental and meaningful to ignore.

Mason was also an active gamer, and according to his parents, after the disappearance they discovered that he previously mentioned to friends he was interested in traveling to California to meet someone he met on the internet. They believe it’s possible that after he left home, he connected with an unknown online “friend.”

Mason prior to his disappearance. (Courtesy of Marti Romero)

Investigators say that British Columbia, Canada, and California remain areas of interest. Multiple agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, are assisting with the search.

If you have any information about Mason or his disappearance, please call NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678 or the Anchorage Police Department at (907) 786-8900.  

View Mason’s missing poster here: https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/2022601/1.