N.J. Family Turns To Billboard To Find Son Missing 7 Years
BUTLER, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- He's gone, but not forgotten.
A mother and father are so desperate to find their missing son they hope a billboard will help them crack the case, reports CBS 2's John Slattery.
Motorists on Route 23 in Butler may notice the billboard and its plea for help -- to locate the missing Timothy Carney. His parents, Ed and Phyllis, still worry every day.
"Is he warm? Is he well? Is he under a bridge, somewhere in a box? Is he healthy? Does he not know who he is?" Phyllis Carney said.
Timothy Carney was 25 when he suddenly vanished in September of 2004. He lived in an apartment complex in Butler, and was in a church group his mother called "cultish."
"They tried to get him away from his family, like, we're your family now," Phyllis Carney said.
A North Carolina non-profit that helps families of missing adults paid for the billboard, as it has done in the past.
Carney worked for the New Jersey Department of Labor. He had access to Social Security numbers. Police believe he could have changed his identity.
There was a bank photo of his getting $1,000 cash from an ATM four days after he was last seen.
"There is nothing to this case that indicates foul play. It is my belief, he, for whatever reason, didn't want to come home," Butler Police Det. Colleen Pascale said.
His mother said he didn't like his job. His car was found abandoned at a Newark construction site.
"I think he was under a lot of stress. He wanted to get out from under stress and so he took off. Whether he had a plan or not, I don't know," Phyllis Carney said.
So, for the family, the mystery continues and the worry never stops.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for anyone who has information that will help police find Timothy Carney.
Have you seen Timothy Carney? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
