Shown in the poster below, 26yo Joey LaBute mysteriously vanished from a Columbus Ohio restaurant on March 4, 2016.
"The assumption was he'd be right back," said a companion of Joseph 'Joe' LaBute Jr. that evening, after he rose from their table in the Union Cafe on High Street and "went to get a drink at the bar."
But LaBute was never seen or heard from again, and almost two weeks later police and family are no closer to solving his baffling missing persons case.
All that's known today is that there's been no activity whatsoever on LaBute's cellphone or personal accounts, and -- after his abandoned car was located -- his parents are now "frantic" to find him, hopefully alive and safe.
"We love you and we’re trying to get you back,” they said in a published appeal issued to their still-missing son this week.
Joey LaBute of Gahanna Ohio is an athletic Caucasian male standing about 6-feet tall, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone who knows what happened to him earlier this month, or his present whereabouts, is urged to alert a 911 dispatcher or to contact detectives of the Columbus Division of Police at 614-645-4545.
The Gahanna Police Department is also involved in this investigation. Tips can be submitted to the GPD at 614-342-4240.
Thank you for covering this case within your blog. I, too, have taken a mental note and began paying attention to the numbers of young men who are disappearing after an evening out with family or friends. This case caught my attention because it is so close to home, I've looked every day to see if this Joey LaBute has been found and am extremely saddened that he is still missing. It seems our local news outlets no longer find this to be a top story. Praying for your safe return home Joey!
ReplyDeleteThank you for covering this case within your blog. I, too, have taken a mental note and began paying attention to the numbers of young men who are disappearing after an evening out with family or friends. This case caught my attention because it is so close to home, I've looked every day to see if this Joey LaBute has been found and am extremely saddened that he is still missing. It seems our local news outlets no longer find this to be a top story. Praying for your safe return home Joey!
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ReplyDeleteWow. He resembles Brian Shaffer, who also disappeared without a trace from a very popular bar in Columbus almost 10 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI agree this sounds eerily similar to Brian Shaffers disappearance from the Ugly Tuna bar in Columbus Ohio. Wow!
ReplyDeleteI thought of the similarities between this and the Brian Shaffer case. It creeps me out. I hope this kid is found. How do people just vanish?
ReplyDeleteThey found this poor young man's body in the Scioto River. Just two months after finding a Wesleyan student in a creek just north of Columbus.
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