(Disclaimer: Everything you’re about to read is purely of fiction. This story serves to bring attention to the real-world events that occur every day, as many people go missing without the possibility of ever being found.)
Missing
Name: Dave Carter-Jones
Date Missing: June 4th, 2016
Age: 16
Sex: Male
Race: African American
Height: 5’ 7” (170 cm)
Weight: 139 lbs (63 kg)
Build: Average
Eyes: Dark Brown
Hair Color: Black
Last Seen: Bighorn National Forest, Buffalo, Wyoming
Originally From: Sheridan, Wyoming
General Information
Dave Carter-Jones was last seen with his 5 friends at the Shell Creek Campground on Bighorn National Forest in Buffalo, Wyoming. Dave reportedly was last seen going inside his tent at around the hours of 10 to 12 at night. His friends found his tent empty the next morning, with no evidence of forced entry or disturbance. A massive search has been done of the entire Bighorn National Forest, with no evidence found. Dave was last seen wearing a plain red collared shirt, with ripped light blue jeans, white sneakers, and a blue crossed-stitched flannel. A piece of the flannel was found 19 miles west by highway 14, close to the small town of Shell, Wyoming, suggesting a possible abduction. Wyoming Highway Patrol detectives continue to search the 30 miles radius around the park in attempt to find any other evidence to Dave’s disappearance.
The Carter-Jones family continues to offer a $20,000 reward for any new information. The Wyoming Highway Patrol is also offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the resolution of this case and/or information leading to the arrest and conviction to the person(s) responsible. If you have any information, please contact the Wyoming Highway Patrol at: (800) 442-9090
Police Report
On June 4th, 2016, at around 11:27 A.M., a distressed 911 call was received about a missing person. Officer Feliciano and Officer Locklear were sent to investigate the situation at the Shell Creek Campground on Bighorn National Forest. Upon arrival, they were met with 5 teenagers/young adults, all in a state of panic/shock. Officer Locklear asked the group who had made the call. Ezra Evans, 22, stated that he was the one that made the call.
Ezra reports that he was the first one to wake up that morning, at around 10:15 A.M. He went to use the restroom, and upon returning to the campsite, he noticed the zipper on Dave’s tent had been opened. Ezra went to go investigate and noticed him missing. He assumed that he must’ve gotten scared, or possibly lonely sometime in the night and went to go sleep in another tent. But upon looking inside the other 2 tents, Dave was nowhere to be found. Ezra claims that at this point, he began to panic. Before waking the others, he went to go check out the cars to see if Dave decided to sleep inside, but they were untouched. Ezra states that he walked over to the next campsite, about a half a mile away from his, and asked the family of 3 if they had seen anyone walking in that direction. They claim to not have seen anyone, as they’ve been awake since 6 that morning.
Ezra states that after returning to the campsite, he woke up the remaining friends to help him search all around the campsite. The family of 3 also joined in on the search. They claim that they went up and down the hiking trails that they had gone through the day prior, hoping that Dave might have decided to take a solitary walk. After an hour, the search was at a standstill and that’s when Ezra decided to make the 911 call.
A massive search has been made of the entire park with the help of local officials, as well as citizens from the nearby towns. No evidence was found, nor has a body been recovered, suggesting a possibility of possible abduction or a case of a runaway adolescent. Detectives have yet to dismiss all possibilities.
As of now, there have yet to be any new leads or information. No evidence, such as footprints or tire marks, were found on the campground. There were indeed footprints but have been confirmed to be of the other associates. Tire marks were also found but have since been confirmed to be of the SUV of the family of 3. A piece of clothing was found about 19 miles west of the park, close to the small town of Shell, Wyoming by highway 14. It is believed to be from the flannel that Dave was last seen wearing the day prior to his disappearance. Dave’s friends and family have strong belief that it could be his. No DNA or fingerprints were found on the fabric, but the condition that it was found suggests a possibility of struggle.
Police have interviewed nearly the entire town of Shell, Wyoming, but no one has come forth with new evidence. One townsman claims he saw a type of sedan-looking car at around 4:30 A.M. travelling west. The witness was awoken by the sound of his dog barking, and when he went outside to check it out, he noticed the car travelling at a high velocity, going west. The witness states that the car looked like it may have been black but noticed that it might have been possibly dark blue, claiming that it was too dark to tell. No one else has come forth to back up this claim.
As of now, the case is still ongoing, with detectives still searching the park for any more clues, as well as the 30 miles radius around the park. Detectives are considering extending the search into further states, but without any new leads, the case must remain within state lines. Dave’s friends and family continue to remain hopeful.
In effort to gather new information, Dave’s family has been interviewed to possibly help the investigation. The 5 friends that were also with Dave, as well as the family who helped them search the campgrounds, have also been interviewed. Attached below are their statements, comments, and/or alibis:
Name/Age: Darryl Carter-Jones, 51
Relationship: Father
“I know my son. He would never run away like this. He had a future ahead of him. Every day after school, I would make sure that he would do all his homework before he would play any video games. He was a good kid. I would never tell him to practice his trumpet, because he would just do it himself. He never disrespected me and would always be a great big brother. He cared about all of us, and all his friends. It just doesn’t make sense for him to just leave all of it behind like that. I made sure that he grew up in a household that didn’t hold any secrets.
I keep telling myself that I regret giving him approval to go on this trip, but this is something that I would’ve never seen happening. And I know that it could’ve happened to any of his friends. But it just happened to be him.
The last time I saw him was Thursday night. He was getting ready for the trip. He spent the entire afternoon getting ready. I still remember his face. He was so excited. We’ve been on trips before to the forest, but this was the first time he was going with friends. I just wanted him to be happy. I even gave him one of my pocket knives. It was a proud moment. Even though he still had one more year of high school, this just felt like the start of him being a man.
I left the house Friday morning, at around 6:00 A.M. to go to work. I stopped by his room one last time. He was still sleeping. He texted me throughout the day, letting me know where he was and how he was doing. I wasn’t worried when he stopped texting me. I just figured he wanted some time alone with his friends.
We’re still searching for him. And if I didn’t have to work so much, I would be out there, every day, searching for my son. My wife still prays for him every night. And I think about it him every single day. I just don’t know how much more I can do to help find him. He was a smart kid. He didn’t deserve this. He had a future.
And someone took all that away. Someone took him and I know it. And I’m not going to rest until I find the son-of-a-bitch who did this to him.”
Name/Age: Angela Carter-Jones, 47
Relationship: Mother
“My son was a good boy. He was my angel. I always did my best as a mother to make sure that he knew he was well loved by everyone, especially me. There were times when we weren’t on good terms, but I still let him know that I cared about him. This last year, he’s been quieter about things. And it did hurt me when he wouldn’t share his day with me, but I understood that he was growing up. I told him that he could always come to me and tell me things, but he did that more with his father. And I understand. At least he was able to talk to someone.
I stayed up with him until close to midnight on Thursday, making sure that he had everything that he needed for the trip. He didn’t like that I made a list for him, but I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything. I was just a little nervous about him going on this trip. This was the first time he was going somewhere alone. I knew he was going to be with his friends, but I still felt uncertain. I know that’s just me still worrying about my babies, but I can’t help it.
I usually wake up at the same time as my husband, but I woke up earlier than usual that Friday to prepare him some meals for the trip. He didn’t ask me for any, since he said that they were going to bring some food, but I just wanted to be safe. I placed them inside one of his bags, with a small letter, hoping he wouldn’t get mad.
His friends arrived at the house around 9 A.M. I watched him as he took his stuff to the car and came back. Before he left, I did a small prayer with him and gave him a rosary. He made a face when I gave it to him, but he took it. And that was the last time I saw my baby boy. I heard about the news the next day. My husband came over not too long after. We only have 2 cars and my daughter had already taken the other one to work. She also came to the house not long after that. I hate thinking about that day now.
I still pray for my son every day. He started to hate church when he turned 15, but I always told him to have faith in God. I just hope that one day I get to see my baby boy again. I know God is protecting him.”
Name/Age: Kayla Carter-Jones, 21
Relationship: Older Sister
“I do miss my brother every day. We weren’t really speaking, since I was doing my own thing and he had his group of friends that he always hanged out with. I didn’t really see him much this last year. I know we all live together, but I go to school every single day and then I go to work. After work, I usually go out and hang out with my girlfriends. I don’t get home until late at night. He would already be asleep by that time.
I think the last time I saw him was that Thursday morning. My best friend had graduated and so I was going to stay with her for the weekend. We just partied all weekend. Until I got that call on Saturday. I was extremely hung over, and so I took a while before I got home. I didn’t want my mom to see me that way. She still doesn’t know that I drink.
But yeah, Thursday morning was the last time I saw him. He was eating breakfast at the dinner table. He just subtly asked me what the best way was to approach a girl. I knew he’d been liking this girl he’s always hanging out for a while now. Tessa, I think. She went with them. I know that cause that was the only reason he was going. I remember making fun of him for it. He’s not really the type of person to go outside. I mean, we’ve been camping before as a family, but he’s never liked it. So, this was kind of funny for me.
I didn’t see him after that cause I pretty much spent Thursday and Friday getting drunk out of my mind. Please don’t tell my mom. But anyways, yeah. I’m not sure what else I could say. Like I said, we weren’t really talking. I was already doing my own thing. I was even thinking about moving out of the house soon. But I don’t think I can anymore. My mom still cries every night. And I hate seeing her cry, but I know that it would hurt her more if two of her children were gone. I’m sad about him being gone, but not as sad as I should be. But I do miss him. He’s my brother. And I’m still his sister.”
Name/Age: Booker Carter-Jones, 12
Relationship: Younger Brother
“My mom’s been crying every day since he left. I try to comfort her, but she just cries even more. She’s also kept his room very clean too. She tells me not to go in there anymore. I don’t like that I can’t go inside his room. She tells me that it’s for my own good. I think she’s just trying to protect me, but I don’t think she understand that I miss him too.
The house is really quiet now. I still play games, but it doesn’t feel the same. We would usually take turns playing. It was always fun. He helped me get better at GTA and Call of Duty. But I don’t feel like playing anymore. I don’t want to get better than him.
I wanted to go with him on this trip, but he didn’t want me to. He said that I was going to just be in the way. I told him that I just wanted to spend some time with him, but he just kept saying no. My mom had said no anyways, but I still wanted to go. I even helped him pack up the day before he left too. He was packing a lot of stuff. I don’t know much about camping, so I don’t know if that was a lot of stuff. I know we’ve been camping as a family before, but I don’t remember much. I was 5 or something like that when we’ve gone.
I didn’t see him when he left. I was still sleeping. School was over and I could sleep in. But I told him to be careful before I went to sleep.
I was with my mom when she got a call. She was in the kitchen, and I was in the living room. I just heard her yell and start crying. I thought she had cut herself. I didn’t know why she was crying until my dad came home about an hour later. I was just with my mom, laying down with her on the kitchen. She didn’t want to get up. I was really worried that she was sick or something. When my dad came, he picked her up and we went searching for him. I’ve never done so much walking. We go walking to the forest almost every day now. My mom is always yelling out his name. She says that she’ll stop until she hears something back. I just want her to be ok. I just want my brother to be ok.”
Name/Age: Erickson Family, 32, 30, 6
Relationship: Witnesses
“We were already camping there since Wednesday. This was sort of our family vacation. We’re originally from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Every year we go to a new forest, and this is where we decided to come to this year. We just hiked and explored the park, trying to see as much as we could every day.
We saw them arriving at the campground on Friday, sometime before noon that day. It was just us and them at the campground. It’s usually always quiet during that time of the year. So, we were surprised when we saw another group. My wife was hesitant about staying there, but they seemed to keep to themselves.
We didn’t see much of them after they arrived. We went to go hike up north, close to Cabin Creek. I think they went hiking downriver of Shell Creek. They were camping about half a mile down from us, so they didn’t bother us. I could hear music and see a bonfire, but nothing that seemed suspicious.
The next morning, we woke up early again, around 6:00 A.M., for our usual hike to see the sunrise. We didn’t notice anything unusual. I didn’t actually see much when we left for the hike. We returned around 9:15 A.M. I caught a small glimpse of their campground, and it still looked the same as before we left.
At around 10:30 A.M., we were approached by a young gentleman, Ezra I believe, asking us if we had seen anyone walking past by us, which we said no to. He looked extremely worried and agitated. We decided to help them out in searching the area as much as we could that day. We used our last day of our vacation to help them in the search to find him. But we had to leave the next day. They thanked us for everything we were able to do. We still wish we could’ve done more if it wasn’t for having to return back home. I hope they find him.”
Name/Age: Demetric Orr, 16
Relationship: Friend
“I don’t think there’s a single memory that I have where Dave wasn’t in it. We’ve been best friends since as long as I can remember. We went to elementary, middle, and high school together. He was my best friend. His family moved into my neighborhood when I was like 7. His mom didn’t really let him out to play that much in the beginning. But we would just hang out in his room pretty much every day after school. We made a lot of memories in that room. His mother hasn’t given me the opportunity to see it since the incident, but I understand that that’s her way of coping with what’s going on.
I was the one that invited Dave to come with us. He didn’t really want to, but I kept insisting that he did. I convinced him because I told him that our other friend, Tessa, was going to be there. He’s been having this huge crush on her since middle school. And I know that she liked him too. So, I thought it’d be a cute idea for them to be with each other for a couple of days. They’ve always played this game of will-they-won’t-they for years now. It honestly started to get annoying. So, I figured that going on this trip would be a fun idea.
The thing was, I wasn’t supposed to go on this trip either. This was actually a trip that my sister had already planned with her boyfriend. She graduated from high school and this was their way of celebrating. She was only supposed to go with her friends and her boyfriend. But I think some of her friends backed out at the last minute and my mom was refusing to let her go on her own with him. In the end, the only people that were still on board to go was her best friend and her boyfriend. She didn’t want her friend to be the third wheel, so that’s when she told me that I could come. That’s when I invited him and Tessa. And that’s how it was.
I kept teasing Dave about getting lucky with Tessa. I know he wanted to try something, but he’s always been the nervous kind of person. I never understood why it was so hard for him to get close to her. They both played trumpet in the band. It’s not like he couldn’t see her. But I’m getting off track here.
Our plan that first night was to get Tessa to come join him in his tent some time in the night. My sister told me that Tessa had to sleep in the same tent as her friend, even though she was sleeping in a tent with her boyfriend. Me and Dave had our own tents. So, I was going to be the lookout when Tessa came out and I would make sure to wake up extra early to make sure we didn’t get caught. But we hiked so many miles on Friday that we were exhausted by the time we went to sleep. Dave still wanted to go with the plan, but I completely knocked out. I awoke the next morning by my sister’s boyfriend, asking me if I knew where Dave was. I thought at first that maybe he had gone out with Tessa somewhere to be alone, but when I got out of my tent, I noticed she was there too.
We spent the entire day searching for him. I just kept thinking to myself that maybe he was playing some weird joke with me, like we used to. But the more time passed, the more I realized what was going on. When the day ended, we all went back to our houses. I couldn’t talk to Tessa when all of that happened, but I can only imagine how sad she felt. Because I still feel like shit every day. But I think about what would’ve happened if Tessa was in his tent with him.
They still haven’t ruled out abduction. And I think about that a lot. Because if Tessa was also there, maybe they would’ve taken her too. And losing two of my best friends would’ve been the end of me. I don’t even feel at home anymore. I pass by his house every day still, and I always feel like crying because my best friend is no longer there. I’m still trying to do my best to help his family in the search. But honestly, the more days go by, the more I think that I’ll never get to see him again. People still believe that they’ll find him, but I just don’t know anymore.”
Name/Age: Amber Carlucci, 18
Relationship: Friend
“To be honest with you, I don’t actually know Dave very well. All I knew about him was that he was my friend’s little brother’s friend. And the only reason why they came with us on this trip was because our other friends said they couldn’t come, which was total bullshit. This was supposed to be our graduation trip but instead we pretty much had to babysit the entire trip. I mean, they didn’t really bother us, but I still felt like we could’ve done so much more if they weren’t there. But I guess it beats being the 3rd wheel.
Like I said, I only know Dave because of Ann. I would sometimes see him in Ann’s house when I would come over. Him and Demetric were super close. And from what I know, he also had a crush on this girl, Tessa, which I had to share a tent with. I didn’t want to, but Ann asked me to. She didn’t want them to do anything crazy that would get her in trouble, so I let her. She was ok. I probably wouldn’t be friends with her though.
The last time I saw Dave was the night before he disappeared. We had just come back from our hike. We were all sitting by the bonfire, making some smores with some music in the background. I was sitting next to Ann, but she was too busy making out with Ezra. Me, Ezra, and Ann left after a while to go near the river. Ann wanted to skinny dip, but the river was too cold and moving too fast. So, we just hanged around there for a bit. Ezra took out some vodka and we got a little drunk. When we returned, they were all sleeping in their tents. Ezra checked the tents to make sure they were there before we went to sleep.
Ann woke me up the next morning, telling me that they couldn’t find Dave anywhere. We spent the entire day searching for him. We had to go home later that night. We were supposed to stay there until Sunday, but they didn’t let us. Everyone was just kind of sad about what happened. I mean, I feel sad too, but like I said, I didn’t really know him very well.
Ann tells me that her brother is still sad about it. He hardly comes out of his room anymore. I feel bad for the guy. I probably would’ve been in the same position if Ann was the one that got abducted. She keeps reminding me that it could’ve been any one of us. I’m just happy it wasn’t me.”
Name/Age: Ann Orr, 18
Relationship: Friend
“I feel a little weird right now. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just…I’ve known Dave all my life, but having to look back at it now, I don’t think I actually knew him. And it feels even weirder because I pretty much saw him grow up. Him and my brother. They were practically each other’s brothers. For the most part, Demetric and Dave kept to themselves. My brother would usually go to his house, but sometimes Dave would come over. And I watched both of them grow up. But me and Dave were never friends. We just knew each other. The only times we would actually talk was when he asked me about Demetric, if he couldn’t find him.
This trip was only supposed to be me and my friends, but nearly all of them backed out at the last minute. My boyfriend was the one that had suggested it in the first place. He wanted us to be alone so we could celebrate my graduation, but my mom straight up said no. She still doesn’t like him very much. She hates the fact that he’s way older than me. He’s only 4 years older than me though. I really don’t see what the big deal is. But anyways, I suggested that we invite my other friends so we could make it like a party. So, that’s what we did. My mom was still hesitant about it, but eventually she said yes. But when they all backed out, except for Amber, she said no again, even though we had already bought all this stuff for the trip. That’s when I decided to invite my brother and his friends. I didn’t want to, but that was the only way that she would’ve let me go.
They didn’t really bother us on the trip though. They joined us when we hiked, but they pretty much kept to themselves. It was just Demetric, Dave, and Tessa. And Dave was in love with Tessa, I think. Demetric had told me that a girl was coming on this trip. I knew that they also were planning on doing something, but I wasn’t going to let him. It was already bad enough that they had to come with us, but now I felt like I had to babysit them. So, the girl ended up sleeping with Amber in her tent. Amber wasn’t really happy about it, but it was the only way I could make sure they weren’t going to do something stupid.
But like I said, they didn’t actually bother us. We pretty much hiked that entire first day, and then went back to the camp. And that was the last time I saw him. They were sitting by the fire making smores, while Ezra, Amber, and me went down by the river to drink and maybe swim a bit. I wanted to go skinny dipping, but Ezra told me the river was flowing too fast. So, we just drank, and I made out with him for a bit. I think I got drunker than them cause I could barely hold myself. Ezra was pretty much carrying me back. I didn’t see them before we got to our tents. But Ezra told me that he made sure they were already in their tents sleeping.
Ezra woke me up the next day, telling me that he couldn’t find Dave. He woke me up first before the others. I was still a little hungover, but I decided to help out. And then, well, everything else happened. After Ezra called the cops, we spent the entire day searching. Our parents got to the park like 3 hours later. And the party was pretty much over.
I kind of regret bringing them with us, but I sometimes think about what would’ve happened if my friends were there. They haven’t ruled out a possible abduction, and so I think about that a lot. Like, if they were there instead of my brother’s friends, maybe one of them would’ve been kidnapped. I don’t know. I just know that my brother is upset. I would be too if I was in his position. It sucks though. It literally could’ve been any one of us. I don’t think I want to go camping anymore.”
Name/Age: Ezra Evans, 22
Relationship: Friend
“Full disclosure, there’s not much that I can tell you that will help you find Dave. I didn’t even know the kid until the day that we picked him up. Ann had mentioned that she was going to bring her brother and that her brother was going to bring some of his friends. Honestly, I really wasn’t all for it, but this was the only way that me and Ann could be alone, even if we weren’t really.
I’ve been going out with Ann for almost 2 years now. I met her when I was a senior in high school. She was a freshman. We were both taking health together. I needed to take the course to graduate and she just happened to be there. We quickly got to know each other. When I graduated, we still kept in contact, but I didn’t really do much until a few years later. I didn’t go to college, so I pretty much just worked all the time. I wanted to leave this stupid town after I graduated but my dad got sick and the hospital bills were stacking up. So, I stayed. Then I go to know Ann even more after that. She helped me get through a lot, even after my dad died. A lot of people thought it was weird that we were going out, including her parents. They didn’t like the idea of her going out with someone much older than her. But it didn’t stop us.
This entire trip was really my idea. Ann graduated high school and I wanted to celebrate by taking her somewhere far from home so we could enjoy ourselves. My idea at first was just to go camping with her alone. You know, be a little romantic. But her mom said no. So, she invited her friends and almost all of them said yes. They wanted to get drunk and have fun. And since I was already over 21, Ann asked me to get alcohol for them. But then they all backed out like a week before the trip, except Amber, her best friend, who is honestly a little clingy. But whatever. And her mom once again said no. So, Ann made the decision to invite her brother and his friends, just so her mom can say yes. And that’s how the trip was made.
I was pretty much held responsible for everything that happened. I knew that I had to pretty much take care of everyone since I was the oldest, but I honestly wasn’t prepared for what happened. We got there on Friday, and we were going to leave Monday morning. My plan was to hike as a group the first day and then the next two days, just be alone with Ann.
The last time I saw Dave was when were all sitting together by the bonfire after our hikes. He was sitting next to that girl everybody said he liked. Ann wanted to drink, but I didn’t want to do in front of them. So, we went by the river to drink. It was alright. I was bothered by the fact that Amber came too, but it was whatever. Ann pretty much drank a lot that night. She even wanted to go skinny dipping, even though the water was cold, and it was flowing hard. We were there for a bit but then it got late. I had to carry her back to the campground. When we got back, they were already in their tents sleeping. I put Ann in our tent and went to go check out the other tents to make sure they were there. It was like 1 in the morning. Then I went to sleep.
I woke up like at 10 cause I really had to pee. I went behind some trees and when I came back, I noticed that his tent was opened. I went to check it out and it was empty. The only thing that was there was his sleeping bag. I went to the other tents to see if he was there, but I just saw everyone else still sleeping. I looked around, but I didn’t notice anything strange. I went to go check out the cars, but they were still there. It didn’t look like anybody tried to get in. That’s when I decided to walk down the street to talk to the other people that were camping there. I remember looking down at the road to see if there were any footprints or tire marks, but it was just dirt. When I talked to the family, they told me they didn’t see anything. That’s when I began to panic. I returned to the campsite and woke everyone else up. And that’s when I called 911. It just all happened so fast. I didn’t know what to do. I told the officers everything that I knew. I even confessed to them about the drinking, but we were more worried about finding Dave.
We spent that entire day trying to find him but ended up with nothing. Ann’s parents came and took her and her brother home. We ended up cutting the trip a day short and I went home alone. Ann seems bothered by the fact that we had to cut our trip short and that it wasn’t what she wanted, but I’m just thinking about what would’ve happened if it was just the two of us who ended going on this trip. I’m not that strong and I don’t think I would’ve been able to protect myself, let alone protect her. I don’t know. Like I said, I didn’t know the kid. But I understand how it feels to lose someone you care about. And I can only imagine how hard it is for his family right now. Part of me still feels like this is my fault.”
Name/Age: Tessa Warshaw, 16
Relationship: Friend
“I don’t think I’ve been able to stop crying since that day. I keep finding myself in the same state of mind every night now. My parents decided that it was best that I start going to therapy, but I don’t think it’s working. I just don’t know how I can get better right now. I keep thinking about him every day. I miss him. Every time I’m in band, I turn to see if he’s there, but all that’s there is an empty chair. Demetric still tries to talk to me whenever we have class or sometimes during lunch, but I just don’t feel like talking to him. The only thing we ever had in common was Dave. I just want to give up doing everything, but I know that’s not what Dave would want me to do. I just feel so alone right now. He was my best friend.
I think everyone else has already said this, but I did have a huge crush on Dave. I think I’ve had it since the day that I met him. He was just this funny, cute looking guy, whose smile would always make me smile and laugh. And I knew he liked me back, but he was always too shy to make any moves. And I didn’t really mind it to be honest. I thought it was cute. He would sometimes put his hand close to mines, but he would never actually touch it. Or when we would hang out together. I would always call it a date, but he brushed it off as two friends just hanging out. I knew he wanted to be with me, but I wasn’t going to pressure him into it. I’m getting off topic, I know. I just can’t help but to think about everything that we’re not going to do anymore.
Going on this trip was Demetric’s idea. He told us like a week before the trip. I’m not really the type of person to go outside and enjoy the nature but Demetric insisted that I go. He told me that Dave was going and that it would be a good idea if we got a chance to be together like that. I still didn’t want to go, but I also wanted to spend some more time with Dave. School had just ended, and we had to go to summer band camp the following week. So, I figured this would be the only time where me and Dave would have some time alone, even if we were going to be with Demetric and his sister. I was allowed to go because my mom knew that another girl was going and that I was to sleep in her tent.
Demetric and his sister picked me up that Friday. Her friend and boyfriend came along as well. I didn’t actually know that until the day of, but it didn’t really matter. We picked up Dave last, since his house was at the end of the street. I still remember his face when he saw me. We all sat in the back, squeezed together. I was in the middle and he was right next to me.
That day, we spent most of it just hiking up some trails and going close to the river. I walked with Dave the entire hike and we pretty much talked about anything. We returned to our campground around 7:15 P.M. It was already dark by the time we got there. Demetric’s sister’s boyfriend made a bonfire and we cooked ourselves some hot dogs and then some smores. I sat next to Dave the entire time there. After a while, Demetric’s sister, her boyfriend, and her friend left. I think they went down to the river. We didn’t follow them. We just stayed there for a bit, jus staring at the campfire while we had some music in the background. Demetric actually got up and said that he was going to go to sleep already. And then it was just the two of us.
And that was the last time I saw Dave. We sat by the bonfire for a bit. We didn’t say much. I laid my head on his shoulder, but he didn’t do anything. He just kept staring at the fire. He told me thank you for coming on the trip. But he didn’t make a move or anything. We just sat there. And after a while, I began to get tired myself. Demetric’s sister still hadn’t come back, but it was starting to get late. So, Dave walked me over to my tent, gave me a hug and said goodnight. I felt like he wanted to say something else, but he never did. I just went to sleep. I felt the tent move around later in the night when the other girl came in. But that was it.
I woke up the next morning by the sounds of the girl getting up, saying something about Dave being gone. And shortly after, everything else happened.
His parents still try to search for him every day, and I try to help out whenever I can. But with school and band, it’s becoming harder to do. I don’t want to lose hope, but the more days go by, the more I start to realize that I don’t think I’m ever going to see Dave again.”
Final Message
As of June 20th, 2018, Dave Carter-Jones remains missing. No new evidence has been obtained and there still haven’t been any new leads to help find Dave and/or to help close his case. Dave’s parents continue to remain hopeful that they will find him one day. Dave’s father, Mr. Darryl Carter-Jones, has taken up a second job to help with the costs of hiring investigators and detectives to help with the search. Dave’s mother, Mrs. Angela Carter-Jones, has also taken a job, though her health is slowly deteriorating from the stress that she’s had the last 2 years. Dave’s sister, Kayla Carter-Jones, has decided to remain living in the house to help with the costs as well. She continues to go to school at Sheridan College. Dave’s brother, Booker Carter-Jones, is now in high school and learning to play trumpet to keep his brother’s legacy alive, though he feels that his brother might not ever return, or worse, might be dead. Dave’s two other friends, Tessa and Demetric, also remain hopeful that he is still out there. They have since graduated high school and gone to college. Demetric decided to stay in town and go to Sheridan College as well. Tessa, on the other hand, has moved to Rapid City, South Dakota to study at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. She returns home whenever she can, always hoping that Dave has been found. Dave would be 18 today. The case remains open. Today, the Carter-Jones is one of hundreds of thousands of families who will suffer with the disappearance of a loved one. And though their chances of ever being found again are slim to none, they remain hopeful, continuing to do whatever it takes to be able to see them again.