A Needle In A Haystack
Eighteen year old Justin Gaines disappeared without a trace from a Gwinnett County nightclub on November 1. He is a nice-looking, 5'10" tall, 235 pound, athletic young man. He placed a call to a friend in the early morning hours looking for a ride home, and has not been heard from again. The request for searchers came out this week, and I didn't hesitate to volunteer. Later that night I talked to Tutter, who asked if I was going to search. She said, "Well, you know who it is, don't you?" I didn't, and she told me it was the grandson of friends of our family. It made me want to do it even more.
This morning was pretty cold. The GSDF teams were loaded into pickup trucks and transported to a Gwinnett County neighborhood. The terrain was ridiculously rough. We searched an abandoned house, under bridges, and through thickets and swampy areas. We wound through wooded areas under high tension wires and through the back of neighborhoods. I have no idea how far we searched, but I definitely feel that we ruled out a significant piece of ground. There was no indication for us to search there, as there are no clues in the case. We searched at the family's request near where he was last seen.
When we arrived back at the church that was serving as the command post, there was a hot meal waiting for us (along with indoor plumbing!!!). I had no sooner stepped in the church door than I heard someone call my name. I turned to find Justin's grandfather, a man I have known all my life. He hugged me and said that the boy's father wanted to see me. He told me to go ahead and get something to eat, and he would send Steven to where I was. I sat down with a bunch of the guys, and COL Hightower walked over to me to ask if I had signed in and out yet. When I replied that I had not, he said, "Go ahead and eat, and I'll bring the rosters over here." One of the guys couldn't believe that the colonel was personally bringing the rosters to me, and remarked that I must know everyone. No sooner had I signed the roster when Steven walked up. I stood up and hugged him and we talked for a few minutes. When I sat back down the same guy said, "My God, you DO know everyone, don't you?" I just laughed.
I really hate that we turned up nothing. The family is no closer to an answer than when they started. We're talking about a good size, muscular guy, that totally vanished. They have billboards up and hundreds of flyers out, but the friends he was with at the club have not been helpful to the police either. Please pray for Justin and his family, and for the success of future searches.
This morning was pretty cold. The GSDF teams were loaded into pickup trucks and transported to a Gwinnett County neighborhood. The terrain was ridiculously rough. We searched an abandoned house, under bridges, and through thickets and swampy areas. We wound through wooded areas under high tension wires and through the back of neighborhoods. I have no idea how far we searched, but I definitely feel that we ruled out a significant piece of ground. There was no indication for us to search there, as there are no clues in the case. We searched at the family's request near where he was last seen.
When we arrived back at the church that was serving as the command post, there was a hot meal waiting for us (along with indoor plumbing!!!). I had no sooner stepped in the church door than I heard someone call my name. I turned to find Justin's grandfather, a man I have known all my life. He hugged me and said that the boy's father wanted to see me. He told me to go ahead and get something to eat, and he would send Steven to where I was. I sat down with a bunch of the guys, and COL Hightower walked over to me to ask if I had signed in and out yet. When I replied that I had not, he said, "Go ahead and eat, and I'll bring the rosters over here." One of the guys couldn't believe that the colonel was personally bringing the rosters to me, and remarked that I must know everyone. No sooner had I signed the roster when Steven walked up. I stood up and hugged him and we talked for a few minutes. When I sat back down the same guy said, "My God, you DO know everyone, don't you?" I just laughed.
I really hate that we turned up nothing. The family is no closer to an answer than when they started. We're talking about a good size, muscular guy, that totally vanished. They have billboards up and hundreds of flyers out, but the friends he was with at the club have not been helpful to the police either. Please pray for Justin and his family, and for the success of future searches.
posted by Jennifer at 8:29 PM
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