Mother desperate to find missing son
Kyle Brown, 19, went missing on Dec. 28 when his mother Tina Brown checked on his whereabouts at 3:30 a.m.
Kyle was not in his bedroom and the family car was missing.
Tina called relatives and friends and by 3:45 a.m. determined there was a problem. Her son, who had been experiencing severe emotional distress for two weeks, had gotten lost twice in the past two weeks.
He was now missing again.
Seventy-five volunteers, law enforcement personnel and friends gathered and searched near the Hogg Cemetery in Pope County where he had gotten lost both times before. A Cessna aircraft and people on horseback also assisted in that search on Dec. 31. His father, who died in 2000, is buried in that cemetery.
There was no sign of Kyle or the vehicle found that day.
Since that day Tina has received hundreds of Facebook messages and 30 to 40 phone calls from flyers that contained her personal phone number.
"Some of the phone calls have been words of encouragement from friends others have been volunteers wondering what they can do to help," Tina said.
"I filled out the missing person's report on Sunday, Dec. 28 and the report on the car is supposed to be nationwide. We feel we must find the car in order to search more effectively."
Some of the Facebook messages have been from people claiming psychic abilities.
One person said, "He swerved to miss a deer and rolled and bounced and the vehicle would be difficult to find because it was upside down."
"She said the vehicle had gone through a fence and that a farmer has since repaired the fence and did not see the vehicle. Another person said he was near the Golconda area, the vehicle was partially hidden in a barn. He messaged me again two days later and said the vehicle was on the move and that he would be home soon. That was Wednesday, the 31st. Then on the first he messaged me and said that Kyle was close to home and the vehicle was low on fuel. He also said that he (Kyle) was confused and just trying to find his way back home," she said. "That was on Jan. 1."
Some of the messages are conflicting.
"I think we need to find the car. Then we have a starting point for a search. I do not care about the car, I just want to find Kyle," Tina said.
She asks if anyone finds the vehicle to contact the authorities first.
Tina said that arrangements are being made for a helicopter search.