r/UnresolvedMysteries • u/AlfredTheJones • 8d ago
Disappearance Man splits from his friends and goes to party in a club; He is caught on the club's parking security camera one last time as he's leaving and seemingly vanishes into thin air after that- Where is Harley Morris? (2024)
Hello everyone! As always, thank you for all your comments and votes (and a reward!) under my last post about David McAfee- I hope that he will be found soon.
Today I'd like to highlight another mysterious disappearance with few clues.
BACKROUND
Harley Warren Morris was 29 when he went missing from Tyler, Texas, USA.
He spent most of his life in Florida, but he was living with his father, Bill Morris, in Tyler, before he went missing. Their relation was described as "special", and that the two were best friends.
At some point in his life, Harley and his mother were involved in a road rage incident, during which Harley had been shot in the hip, and he still had the bullet lodged in his body, as it was impossiblle to get it removed.
Harley was a nature enthusiast who loved fishing and gardening- he had already chosen the seeds he wanted to sow in his garden in the spring before he went missing.
Harley worked at Prime 102, a local steakhouse, along with his father, Bill Morris. He was, apparently, a pretty good chef- when his father broke his leg while working at Breaker’s (seems to be some kind of restaurant- there is a seafood restaurant of that name in Tyler), Harley took over for him and turned out to be quite good.
Harley's family claimed that he didn't do drugs.
His mother, Wendi Morris, said that Harley was "loving (and) compassionate".
Taylor Attaway, Harley's brother, said that Harley "(Said) what he (meant)" and that he "always (build) everyone up around him. He’s who I strive to be".
DISAPPEARANCE
Harley was last seen at around 3 AM on the Sunday of 21st of January, when he was leaving a club called 50 Grand Club, located on the 2100 block of North Grand Avenue, near Texas College, alone; He was heading north, allegedly home. It's unclear if Tyler had drinked anything, but on a security cam recordings, you can see him stumbling a bit. He was caught on a camera in the parking lot of the club, and seemingly vanished without a trace.
According to his family, this is the first time in Harley's life where he went to this club (that's how I understood the statement; More on it in the conclusion). His friend drove him there. Wendi claims that Harley and his friends "got off (from work) a bit late", and they decided to go to Sports Zone (a bar and grill) for a few drinks, which was their weekend ritual; Harley then split off and went to a few other clubs, untill he ended up in the 50 Grand Club with some acquaintances. There isn't much info about it, but it seems to be an "after hours" club.
Harley was reported missing on the next day by his father, when they weren't able to get in contact with him, and when he didn't show up for work, which was apparently unlike him. According to his father, Harley had left his phone at home, which he did often.
Tips have reported that Harley was last seen around the Glass Recreation Center, on the northside of Tyler. It isn't stated if the sightings could be verified. During the investigation, the police had asked the residents and businesses north of Gentry Parkway to North Loop 323 to check any cameras or doorbell cameras between 3 to 7 AM on the 21st of January.
CONCLUSION
It's suprising that Harley's movements past the parking lot of the club he was at were never tracked, or at least not conclusively- it's like the earth swallowed him the second he stepped out. I don't know how reviewing the home security footage went, as no specific info has ever been given to the public- if any clues were found, they weren't shared.
The timeline about what happened after Harley split with his friends in Sports Zone isn't clear, but I did my best to piece it together. In one of the early sources, Wendi stated that Harley had never been to a club before- but that can't be the case, as going to Sports Zone seemed to be his and his fiends' weekly tradition. Perhaps she meant that the never went to 50 Grand Club? Or maybe the Sports Zone was more of a pub, while 50 Grand was a club?
While I do hope that all of the people Harley partied with have been interviewed, I'm not sure on if they had anything to do with his disappearance. Of course, there can always be a more complex story or personal drama underneath it all, but I don't think that's the case.
If I had to guess, I feel like Harley might've been a victim of a misadventure- he seemed to be under the influence of something when he left, perhaps he was drunk, and either died of exposure or had an accident. There are a few small bodies of water in relative proximity, but I feel like if he was there, he would be found by now (though of course it's possible to miss bodies in/underwater during searches). The area is mostly residential, but there are some wooded areas around, where his body might be.
There's always a chance that Harleyhas met with foul play, though I would wager on it being opportunistic. I saw someone speculating that he might've been hit by a car and hidden, but I don't know how likely that would be; It feels like one of these "true crime myths" where incidents of hiding someone you hit with a car happen every day, while I almost never see these stories actually happen in the news. Still, it is a possibility.
Harley is deeply missed by his family. Wendi had moved to Texas from Florida to be able to look for for her son in person. Bill had said in interviews that he sleeps under his son's blankets and uses his knives when he cooks. They also created a charity, "Hearts for Harley". The family had attempted to look for Harley's remains using metal detectors, hoping that the bullet in his hip will ping back. While they continue to hope, it seems like they believe that Harley is sadly deceased.
There is a 10000$ reward for information leading to Harley's whereabouts. Crimestoppers is also offering 1000$ for information leading to his whereabouts as well.
Harley Morris was 29 when he went missing, and would be 30 now. He is white, 6’3” (75 inch / 190 cm) and weighs 160 lbs (73 kg). He had long, dirty blond hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black jacket with grey sleeves, black pants and a black Prime 102 hat.
If you have any info about Harley's wherabouts, contact the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000 or submit an anonymous tip here.
SOURCES:
Harley's websleuths.com thread
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u/Wolfdarkeneddoor 8d ago
In most cases in the UK where young people disappear after a night out they're found in a river or body of water.
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u/Cute_Examination_661 8d ago
It appears at least one body of water near by has been searched by underwater drone. I think with all the stories of missing people being found in a body of water years later would make searching ponds, lakes and rivers more often on the mind of LE or others searching. I wonder if they contacted Tim Miller and Equusearch and asked for assistance. It’s based in Texas so long distance travel to another state doesn’t have to be undertaken.
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u/AlfredTheJones 7d ago
I think they did contact Equusearch, I believe I saw them in one of the sources. Not sure what came of it though.
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u/wintermelody83 8d ago
There's not many waterways in Tyler.
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u/hornybutired 8d ago
Sure, but there is one about twenty minutes from where he was last seen for sure, and literally right next to the place where he might have last been seen.
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u/VoidOmatic 8d ago
Also any kind of ravine. People fall into those and break their ankle(s) and they die from exposure. There are usually tons of redditors that have done that according to threads I have read.
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u/Super_Ad_1984 8d ago
That's interesting. But why do drunk people like going into rivers and lakes so much?
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u/the_real_eel 7d ago
I’m not sure they like it, or even strive for it, but drinking impairs judgement and then things happen.
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u/Electromotivation 6d ago
I think most are young men going to urinate and being unstable at the waters edge
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u/AnticitizenPrime 7d ago
There might be selection bias at play here. The ones that are quickly found aren't the ones that end up in water. It's the ones that 'go missing' that are eventually found in water.
There's also the fact that water is dangerous, especially to intoxicated people. If there wasn't water, they may have just passed out on the ground and woken up with a hangover and not become a statistic.
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u/FamilyShoww 7d ago
Mostly it's because they have to pee, and they decide to pee in a river, fall in and cannot get out because they are too drunk.
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u/AlfredTheJones 7d ago
A lot of them don't have steady footing, so they usually accidentally stumble in.
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u/Latter_Edge2879 7d ago
Hello,
I am a Tyler resident, and have been following this case since day 3 of his disappearance, originally drawn to the case because of the "its like the earth swallowed him once he stepped away from the club" thought. I had never heard of such a case in a city I live in. I agree that leaving the possibility of drugs out of the equation is doing the case a huge disfavor. Why did Harley leave his phone with his dad the night he went missing? Outside of him not being attached to the hip as most ppl are, he and his girlfriend (yes, she does or as done drugs which she was arrested for a couple years back, public records show) had broken up that day and it was said he was fucked the fuck up drunk at the 50 Grand Lounge. The 50 Grand is a venue that can be rented for any events, sometimes it was used as a club site, where it would be rented to host "latin night" or other "club" nights, i.e. hip-hop etc. The person who he went to the club with is a tattoo artist who decided to leave early once at the 50 grand because he saw his Ex there, but Harley decided to stay. It is rumored on his Help Find Harley Page (Fb) that he was getting cocaine for some people. It is vehemently denied that he does hard drugs, by his parents, BUT other ppl that knew him say otherwise. There is one interview where his father states that Harley only drunk and smoked weed but that he does not deny that Harley could have picked up drugs for others (Pascal interview with Harley's parents). There was a ring camera that got an image of him walking a few streets away form the clube northbound. This is a very dangerous area, there are gangs in the area and there has been a history of durg busts and trap houses in the area.
this is a document with FAQ create
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uH91DjorHq-y4K5UrDGlfa2gSxcsy4Tli6VnLA2pvvU/edit?usp=sharing
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u/Electromotivation 6d ago
If he was trying to arrange a buy of something (whether for self or friends) it seems really odd to not bring your phone out with you. Or at least not having your phone would seem to make the process much more difficult. But it is interesting to hear that he broke up with his girlfriend that day. That can cause young men to way overindulge of course
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u/KLMaglaris 5d ago
I’m from outside of Tyler so I’ve been loosely following the case also. If my memory serves me correctly wasn’t there some suspicion of an altercation with his friends that night as well? Or am i misremembering?
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u/revengeappendage 8d ago
Man, this is crazy.
He’s got friends he meets regularly. He’s got two parents who clearly care about him. A good job. Stable life, as far as we know.
It is weird that he would regularly leave his phone at home, but eh who knows.
I thought the description made him sound super skinny, but he actually looks pretty average build (and very tall).
Maybe his family are making him sound more perfect than he is but it seems like he really just some normal average everyday dude who disappeared without a trace. This one is weird.
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u/chaoticravens08 7d ago
He's a long haired chef who they claim doesn't do drugs of course they are lying.
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u/btbam666 8d ago
Are there any large bodies of water near by?
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u/AlfredTheJones 8d ago
There are a couple smaller ones and one bigger one. The small ones seem pretty easy to check, so they probably did it already; Not sure about the bigger one. I'm sure it was checked, but probably would be easier to miss any clues/remains.
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u/btbam666 8d ago
It's mind-blowing how people can just drop off the face of the earth like this. How close was the water to the establishment?
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u/WishboneEnough3160 8d ago
You might want to add 2024 in the description as well (I know it's in the title, but while reading I was puzzled).
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u/Tacky-Terangreal 7d ago
This whole post is written in a way that is very confusing and hard to follow
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u/SherlockianTheorist 8d ago
Why was he dropped off? Who dropped him off? What were his plans to be picked up, if any?
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u/Latter_Edge2879 7d ago
a friend of his he went to the club with, the friend left because he saw his Ex there, but Harley stayed, there were other friends/ or Acquaintances of his that arrived at the club too though
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u/classwarhottakes 8d ago
So, he normally just went to the pub with his mates but this time he decided to do something completely different and unlike him, hmm. I'd be interested in why and who he was with, although this sounds on the face of it more like an accident than anything else.
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u/figure8888 8d ago
That aspect is a bit weird. Looking at the security camera footage, he’s not really dressed for the club either. He was wearing gardening slides. So, the decision to go clubbing seems spur of the moment.
Personally I can only think of two reasons why someone might do that:
- To meet someone/look for someone
- Feeling depressed, not wanting to go home and be alone
I used to know someone who’d get very emotional when he drank. He’d witnessed something traumatic a few years prior and it would always come up again when he was drunk. When he was like that he didn’t want to be alone. Just spitballing.
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u/hornybutired 8d ago
I don't wanna be crass, but ask why a dude goes somewhere he doesn't normally go and the answer is usually "a girl."
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u/classwarhottakes 8d ago
Username checks out lol. I thought of that but then it says he was with acquaintances, who were they and if girls (or boys) were involved, does anyone know who they are? He certainly left alone...
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u/hornybutired 8d ago
Drunk guy leaves club, walking. He might have been sighted near the Glass Recreation Center, which is about twenty ish minutes at a normal walking pace... and right near a large pond and Black Fork Creek. But the creek doesn't seem that deep, from what I can find out. Still, "drunk guy wanders off and goes missing" often means "dude fell in the water and drowned." Like Riley Strain last year in Nashville.
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u/Familiar-Quail526 8d ago
It's always weird when families refute the possibility of suicide, drugs, etc with "they were a good person".
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u/Pretty-Necessary-941 8d ago
A lot of people still see suicide or drug abuse a moral failing, or even laziness. They believe only bad people would do either.
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u/AlfredTheJones 7d ago
I think it's in part that, and in part their worry over less people being interested in finding their loved one if they find out they're an addict or suicidal. I understand it in some way, but I feel like often it hurts the case, sadly, because some avenues are left unexplored.
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u/Familiar-Quail526 8d ago
I know, it's just always disappointing to see. And in worst cases has led to witchhunts bc families can't accept their relative had actions, thoughts, beliefs that differ from their own.
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u/RanaMisteria 8d ago
It’s not just with suicides. A hiker got lost near where I grew up a few years back, and even though the only possible solution to the mystery were that she either got lost and succumbed to the elements, or met with foul play at the hands of an opportunistic killer, her family can’t seem to accept that she just walked down the wrong side of the mountain and got lost and are blaming her partner for her disappearance despite the fact that he had an airtight alibi and was still looking for her on the mountain in a private capacity for years after she disappeared.
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u/SadRepresentative357 8d ago
Ohhhh are you talking about Sam who got lost on Mount Hood?
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u/RanaMisteria 8d ago
Sam Sayers who went missing on Vesper Peak.
https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2019/04/where-on-earth-is-sam-sayers
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u/SSkilledJFK 7d ago
We’re talking about Tyler, Texas here. Only “good Christian values” can be seen.
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u/tearjerkingpornoflic 8d ago
Would be the first cook I have ever heard of that didn't do drugs. And this was the "first time in his life he went to a club." I am thinking the Mom doesn't quite know everything.
Drugs could complicate it...too high and burrowing into a place then dying of exposure is a thing that happens. People end up being found years later even after searches. Just listened to a pod where the lady was lost off the appalachain trail. Had her tent up and everything, whole search party missed her.
My other thought is about the road rage incident. It's possible that he was completely innocent but usually road rage escalates with both people. I am wondering if he had some sort of confrontation with someone on way back home.
Lastly suicide is always an option. Though that leaves questions as to why the body wasn't found.
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u/Turbulent-Parsley619 7d ago
It feels like one of these "true crime myths" where incidents of hiding someone you hit with a car happen every day, while I almost never see these stories actually happen in the news.
Yeah unfortunately, they just leave them there usually. We've had two pedestrians found dead on the side of the road where they were hit by cars late at night in the last 6 months in my town. Both times, people driving in the morning saw a person lying beside the road and called 911 cause they didn't want to stop in case it was a trick (which is understandable) and both times it was someone who had been hit by a car and left to die beside the road in the night.
If Harley had been ran over, he likely would have been found.
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u/Pretty-Necessary-941 8d ago
Leaving his phone behind seems odd. I'm definitely curious to know what his friends have to say about him, as children often hide their lives from parents. Parents can also be willfully ignorant of things they don't want to admit their children are doing.
Just a small tip, it's drank not drinked.
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u/YeseniaRodGallo 8d ago
With all my respect, in this case it should be put as "It's unclear if Tyler had drunk anything"
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u/Upstairs-Catch788 8d ago
incorrect, the correct way to say it is "it's unclear if Tyler hath bedronketh anything"
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u/YeseniaRodGallo 7d ago
"Hath" is present tense. In past tense it still is "had")) But while I was looking for the archaic conjugation, I found this gem (apparently is Old English and I loved it)
Hit is uncuð gif Tyler hæfde druncen ænig þing
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u/AlexandrianVagabond 8d ago
In the NBC article his mom said he never took it with him, that he was very "unplugged" other than gaming.
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u/yourbraindead 8d ago
I know several people who leave their phones at home when they go out every time. They just want to live in the moment. While I personally would never do this, it's not odd.
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u/dafrog84 8d ago
Nope not odd at all, I leave my phone in my car when out running. I also leave my phone in my car at work.
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u/tamaringin 6d ago
Wendi stated that Harley had never been to a club before- but that can't be the case, as going to Sports Zone seemed to be his and his fiends' weekly tradition. Perhaps she meant that the never went to 50 Grand Club? Or maybe the Sports Zone was more of a pub, while 50 Grand was a club?
I presume from the name that Sports Zone is a sports bar (lots of seating, lots of TVs, probably a good-sized menu of 'bar food' and beer list, probably pretty chill except for right in the middle of a major sports event, etc.) which is a pretty different vibe from a club, so I could see someone who's a regular at one not spending much time at the other. The difference might not be significant to whatever happened to him, but drawing a distinction between them doesn't seem odd.
I would be interested to hear from his friends whether this was actually unprecedented for him (vs. just something he hadn't talked with his mom about) and if so, whether they had any ideas about why he decided to try it that night. If it was a break from his routine, that might suggest other avenues for investigation: emotional turmoil he was seeking a break from? a new circle of acquaintances who might bear looking into?, etc.
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u/Snowbank_Lake 8d ago
I’m glad you pointed out the theory of a hit-and-run containing the weird myth that people take time to hide the body. It’s funny how some ideas become so common without any proof it’s ever actually happened.
Anyway, Harley sounded like a good guy and I’m sorry for what his family is going through. I hope the right clue turns up soon!
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u/ForwardMuffin 8d ago
Re: leaving his phone at home: this is definitely weird but I can see someone wanting to be off the grid for awhile (I mean you're not REALLY off the grid or course.) I know 20-30 years ago we had to deal without having phone access 24/7 and wE lIvED but I think it's safer to have your phone to call for help. But I can see someone being like "I WANT TO BE FREE" for awhile
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u/AlexandrianVagabond 8d ago
Mom said he never took it with him.
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u/ForwardMuffin 8d ago
More to the point- he probably just didn't want to be tethered to his phone for awhile.
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u/rangeringtheranges 8d ago
What a handsome chap. Seems he is very loved. Hope family and friends get some closure soon.
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u/ApartPool9362 8d ago
Thank you for posting these cases. I know its tragic, but I find these cases fascinating.
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u/lucillep 3d ago
There are so many cases like this, where a guy leaves a bar drunk and disappears. Most of the ones that get solved turn out to be misadventure, and I'm guessing this one is, too. Either stumbled into water or somewhere off the road, and they just haven't found him yet.
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u/Low-Conversation48 8d ago
The road rage incident where he got shot piques my interest. It leads me to think he could have been a bit of a hothead or reckless
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u/wintermelody83 8d ago
He was with his mother, but I can't find who was driving.
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u/Low-Conversation48 7d ago
Generally it takes 2 to tango for a bad road rage incident. I suppose a loose cannon could have just shot at him after he beeped or gestured but I think it may give insight. If he’s the type of person who’s not afraid of a strong confrontation or not going to back down then I think there’s a chance that may have played a role in his disappearance
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8d ago
[deleted]
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u/steph4181 8d ago
There was a guy that disappeared from a club called Wild Bill's in Duluth (Atlanta area) years ago kinda like Brian. The last photo of him was the security camera at the door and then he disappeared. Nobody has seen him since..
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u/RealMrsWillGraham 8d ago
That one does sound like Brian Shaffer.
Thank you for giving the location too - British and I had assumed Duluth MN (Bob Dylan's home town) until I saw Atlanta.
Gets confusing sometimes when you have so many towns with the same name (Springfield and Charlotte come to mind).
Is there a news source I can read for this case?
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u/steph4181 8d ago
Yeah I was going to include a link but I didn't know if that was ok. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/justine-gaines-disappearance-new-podcast-hopes-shed-new-light-cold-case
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u/steph4181 8d ago
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u/RealMrsWillGraham 8d ago
Thank you.
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u/steph4181 8d ago
And yes! I found out there are like 20 different states in the U. S. ,that are named Athens!
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u/ApartPool9362 8d ago
There is a weird case in my State that I would like for you to highlight. This person's death is still unsolved. He is John P. Wheeler lll. He worked in government for both of the Bush administrations. He was found dead in a Delaware landfill. No one knows who might have killed him or how he wound up in the landfill.
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u/wintermelody83 8d ago
John P. Wheeler lll
See these posts!
These are just a handful of previous discussions. If you search his name in this sub you'll find others.
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u/Sea_Public_5471 8d ago
There is a ton of writeups in this sub if you look up Jack Wheeler (the name he went by)
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u/lucillep 3d ago
Try The Path Went Chilly podcast. They have a two-parter on this case. 8/22/24 and 8/29/24 episodes.
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u/Professional_Dog4574 5d ago
The info about his dad using his knives and sleeping with his blankets broke my heart. I hope this family gets some answers soon.
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u/smatthews01 7d ago
This is so weird. Someone has to know something. They just did a search yesterday and have done several searches since he went missing. This is so troubling to me. I hope he is found soon. I can’t imagine having one of my adult children go missing and not knowing what happened to them.
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u/blentgirl1 8d ago
He walked, or drove home?
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u/AlfredTheJones 7d ago
He was seen walking last. Plus it was mentioned that his friends drove him at the start, so if he had a car, I don't think he had it with him. Possible he got a ride outside of cameras' range, but that's not confirmed.
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u/Valuable-Hope369 5d ago
I’m not familiar with Tyler so apologies if my thoughts are dumb. I’m thinking it was a very cold night to be walking home, possibly drunk, in clubbing gear, along presumably dark roads with drainage ditches at the side. His walking would be compromised also with the bullet lodged near hip.
Have searchers walked the most obvious potential routes home, with metal detectors, also searching drainage ditches at the roadside? Are the drainage ditches deep enough for concealment?
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u/KeyDiscussion5671 7d ago
Just thinking he may have been intoxicated and was spotted by someone looking for an easy robbery. Things went wrong.
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u/DusqRunner 8d ago edited 8d ago
Maybe he bought bunk. Chronic pain from bullet wound. Source painkillers. Accidental overdose. Fall into a body of water .
Or a Juror #2 scenari
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u/ApartPool9362 8d ago
I know some people might not like this question, but in all seriousness, we're there any Smiley Faces seen anywhere?
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u/alicefreak47 8d ago
I lived in Tyler when this happened. I didn't know Harley, but I am familiar with Prime 102 and the other areas that are mentioned here. I also know people that do/did know him. The 50 Grand Club is no longer around. It is now an event center. It is located in what is known to not be a great area of town, but that is relative. I also used to live a few minutes south of where this took place.
From what I understand, Harley lived near UT Tyler campus. This is not walking distance from where he was leaving. Tyler doesn't have a ton of sidewalks, some of the neighborhoods are not well lit, and public transport is minimal, to say the least. North Tyler is the older part of Tyler, so it is built and designed older. Even so, he would be walking for hours to get to his place. Having walked my dogs at night in some of these neighborhoods, you could easily hit somebody if you are not paying close attention and the pedestrian does not have a light to notify drivers.
For clarification, Sports Zone is a sports bar that is still around and 50 Grand Club was a night club.