Missing
Yiear James Samuel West
West, approximately 2016
Date and time person was reported missing : 12/09/2016
Missing location (approx) :
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
Black
Age at the time of disappearance: 28 years old
Height / Weight : 6'1, 220 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A blue sweatshirt, black pinstriped chef pants, black socks, black Croc shoes, and a black skullcap.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: African-American male. Black hair, brown eyes. West had shoulder-length dreadlocks and a significant amount of facial hair, including a goatee, at the time of his disappearance. He has burn marks on his forearms from his job as a grill cook, and a scar under his right eye.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : West was last seen after he left work at Outback Steakhouse on Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on December 9, 2016. He walked two miles to Corner News, a convenience store on Coal Street, stopping to make a purchase at Wegmans on the way. The security cameras showed him at Corner News at 6:40 p.m; he withdrew $200 from an ATM there. He has never been heard from again.
Prior to his disappearance, West had stopped using his cellular phone because an ex-girlfriend was calling him on it. He got another phone to replace it, but it isn't clear if he ever activated it and his family doesn't know the number for it. He left behind two children, and his mother doesn't believe he would have left without telling anyone. His case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Wilkes-Barre Police Department
570-208-4231
September 2021 updates and sources
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A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Times Leader
October 12, 2004. July 18, 2019; .
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