Janelle

Wife: Janelle, Age 33

Missing Husband: Arthur

Location: Long Beach, California

Janelle was last in contact with Arthur in October of 2021.

Janelle was a journalism student at Berkeley who decided to study abroad in the UK. While on a semester in Brighton, she met a handsome, charismatic, artistic, and fun British guy at a nightclub. The two connected instantly and were inseparable from then on. Arthur ended up moving in with Janelle, and their fairytale romance began. When it was time for Janelle to return to the U.S., Arthur followed her, moving to Berkeley. They spent the next seven years dating. They even lived for several years in Portland, Oregon before they moved to Long Beach together.

In January 2018, they decided to marry in a small ceremony in Long Beach. Janelle felt like she had met her prince charming. Arthur came from a good (and wealthy) family, and he was a good guy—albeit shy, but caring, spontaneous, and fun. However, Arthur had a secret that he revealed while they were engaged: he liked to wear women’s clothing. The conversation was framed as a "fantasy," and although Janelle was initially taken aback, she’s an open-minded person. She understood that many straight men indulge in curiosities, and it didn’t change how she felt about him.

Things did change, however. The day after their wedding in 2018, Arthur came out to Janelle as transgender and he was a woman. He told her that he wanted to transition from male to female and begin hormone therapy. Janelle was shocked and couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen the signs. Arthur admitted he had waited until they were married to tell her because he feared she would leave him if she knew beforehand. Stunned and speechless, Janelle was still in love. In an effort to save her marriage, she supported Arthur’s transition, standing by him and helping him through the process. Arthur even asked Janelle to choose his female name for him, and together they settled on "Luna." Janelle believes Arthur legally changed his name to Luna.

The hormone therapy significantly affected Arthur and he began to change but not in a good way. Over time, as Arthur became Luna, he grew sullen, moody, aggressive, and secretive. He was no longer the kind, affable, and charming person Janelle had fallen in love with. Their relationship deteriorated, and in October 2021, it all came to a head. Janelle came home to find the house empty—Arthur had taken all of his things (and some of hers) and left her a message on her Instagram: “I’m gone, don’t go looking for me.” He blocked her on all platforms, stopped responding to emails, calls, and disappeared completely.

Janelle reached out to Arthur’s family, but they didn’t know about his transition and refused to believe it. As she continued to try and connect with them, Janelle learned that Arthur had lied to his family about her, causing them to cut ties as well. Without Arthur’s income and no job at the time, Janelle fell into significant debt. She tried to find him but had no success.

Today, Janelle is still legally married to Arthur (or Luna). She’s unsure which name to even search under. Since the couple lived in both Portland and Long Beach, Janelle suspects Arthur might be in one of those two places.

Janelle is a second-generation American; her parents are from Syria and settled in the United States. They were staunchly religious and adhered to strict Muslim values. Janelle, always more alternative and progressive, never saw eye-to-eye with her parents. Her father left the family when she was young, and she was raised by her mother, who disapproved of Arthur’s transition. As a result, Janelle has no contact with her mother. This leaves her feeling helpless in her search for her missing spouse, with only the support of her best friend, Julie, and her boyfriend, Nemo.

Janelle and Nemo have been seriously dating for just under a year, and their relationship is going well. Nemo is caring, nurturing, sweet, and sensitive. He rescues animals for a living, and Janelle deeply values his compassionate and caring nature. The couple hopes to marry one day, but they can’t because Janelle is still married to Arthur. Janelle wants to find Arthur to hold him accountable—both financially and emotionally—for abandoning her and leaving her in such a toxic situation. She is trying to rebuild her life, but despite her efforts, she’s struggling to regain her footing. Finding Arthur would give her the closure she needs to truly move on and rebuild her life.