We have been getting email messages from people named Mr. and Mrs.
Joseph, and when we finish reading them, they disappear from our
in-box. The messages talk about a man in Africa being captured, his
money being taken away, and his wife saying that he was killed. Is
this a virus?

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Request for Question Clarification by mvguy-ga on 20 Oct 2003 08:29 PDT

Which software (Eudora, Incredimail, Pegasus, etc.) are you using to
read your e-mail, or which web site (Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Mail.com,
etc.) are you using to read or your e-mail?  Thanks.

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Clarification of Question by lboone19922002-ga on 20 Oct 2003 10:29 PDT

We use Eudora.

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Clarification of Question by lboone19922002-ga on 22 Oct 2003 11:52 PDT

We use Eudora for our email.

Dear lboone19922002, 

The letters may have disappeared from your inbox because the email
programme indentified them as spam.

In any case, whether you are aware of it or not, these kind of stories
are well spread, as part of a scam. Read more, here at Google Answers.

Cases exactly like yours: 
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=40045 
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=216126 
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=210593 
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=197518 

Realted issues and stories: 
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=174187 
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=40042

General Information
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=119015 

I hope this helps.

This is not a virus, it is a hoax.

It could be as simple as this:

Disappearing Email 2.6 
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,26907,00.asp

There are dozens of programs like this available on the Internet.

~~Cynthia