Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Gary Shannon Earp Jr.
Earp, date, approximate 2017; Earp's pickup truck
Date Missing 06/01/2017
Missing From
Marion, Virginia
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Age 45 years old
Height and Weight 5'8, 280 pounds
Medical Conditions Earp suffers form mental illness with symptoms including paranoia. He had spent a long stay in a psychiatric facility and was discharged about six months prior to his disappearance. He is classified as disabled.
Associated Vehicle(s) Toyota pickup truck (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Graying brown hair, brown eyes.
Details of Disappearance Earp disappeared from Marion, Virginia on June 1, 2017. On June 4, his Toyota pickup truck was found parked at a gate near the top of the mountain near Tumbling Creek, at the 25,477-acre Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area. It was still running, the door was open, and inside it was his wallet with cash and credit cards, his glasses and a bag of uneaten Hardee's breakfast food.
A photo of Earp's pickup truck is posted with this summary. It was processed for evidence, but nothing of significance was found.
Loggers in the area said they'd seen Earp at the end of Tumbling Creek Road at 3:00 p.m. on June 1. Another witness reported seeing Earp in Saltville, the nearest town to the wildlife area, early on June 2. He was behaving normally at the time. The receipt for the Hardee's food showed it was purchased on the night of June 2 in Chilhowie, Virginia.
A search of the area around the vehicle turned up no sign of Earp, and he has never been heard from again. He enjoyed camping in the Tumbling Creek area with his family and had on a camping trip there just the weekend before he went missing, but he hadn't mentioned wanting to return there so soon.
In 2014, three years prior his disappearance, Earp had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity on a probation violation charge from an earlier conviction for child abuse. The was still pending when he disappeared. He missed a court hearing for it that was scheduled on June 1, and didn't show up for his court-ordered community service at a food pantry on June 2. As a result, a warrant was issued for his arrest.
It was uncharacteristic of him to miss the hearing; his probation officer called him a "model probationer" who had passed all his drug tests, faithfully attended his probation meetings and abided by the mental health requirements he'd been instructed to follow. It's unclear whether the probation and the criminal is related to his disappearance.
Earp lived with his father at the time of his disappearance, and relied on disability payments. He had planned to ask the court to permit him to look for a job, as he wanted to get off disability. His remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Smyth County Sheriffs Office
276-783-7204
Other
Virginia State Police
Southwest Virginia Today

Missing Person Photos

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 unknown. 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 to 5 percent 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. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images 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.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos