Stutzman was last seen at his farm in LaGrange, Indiana on August 17, 1952. He spent the morning doing chores, then told his children to go the house while he took the cows to the field. Stutzman promised his children he would come to the house in approximately 20 minutes, but he never arrived and has never been heard from again.

Authorities are uncertain what happened to Stutzman. He occasionally gambled and his children fear he met with foul play as a result, but investigators stated they have not ruled out the possibility that he left of his own accord, although he took nothing with him and had not told anyone he was planning to leave. He is described as a hard worker and family man; he has thirteen children. Few details are available in Stutzman's case; it remains unsolved.