Mike Webb is missing

A bit of old news to some, but nonetheless still ongoing.

Seattle liberal talk show host Mike Webb, formerly of KIRO and most recently doing a webcast version of his show, has been missing for almost two months. April 13 is the last time he had done a webcast, posted a blog entry and had spoken to anyone in his family. According to blatherWatch, a Seattle media blog that often writes about Webb, nobody seems to know his whereabouts. blatherWatch and Webb's family report that his house had been ransacked, but his car and other personal effects were left behind. The car, parked on the street, has since been impounded by police.

The last anyone had heard from him was allegedly April 30, when the local Department of Corrections had received a check-in call from him. Webb was convicted in February for making a fraudulent insurance claim after an automobile accident the previous June, when his Lexus was struck by an uninsured driver. Webb was fired from KIRO in December 2005 following his indictment on the charges.

Webb, 51, has been suffering a decline in mental and physical health for the past couple of years, according to sources. He even suffered a breakdown in court last September (resulting in a mistrial), had filed for bankruptcy protection and had reportedly even contemplated suicide.

A San Francisco native, Webb got his start in radio in the late 1960s, as a teenager, at KMPX, the groundbreaking progressive rock FM station programmed by legendary disc jockey Tom Donahue. He moved on to other San Francisco stations, doing mostly on-the-street reporting and interviews, with his most memorable story being the murders of San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone by deranged ex-City Supervisor Dan White. Webb, working for KGO radio at the time, also covered the riots that ensued when White received a mere seven year sentence for the double murder, by reason of insanity (junk food made him crazy). Later, Webb worked as an on-air personality at other San Francisco stations before moving to Seattle in the early 1980s. He entered talk radio at KIRO in 1996. Webb is also known for his activism work, particularly against hate crime. Webb runs a voice-over business as well.

Anyone having information about Webb, or those who have seen him are encouraged to contact Seattle Police Detective Tina Drain at (206) 684-5582. Seattle police are treating this as a missing persons case.

You can read more about Webb at blatherWatch.