Thomas E. Messick Sr. – The Charley Project
Thomas E. Messick Sr.
Missing Since 11/15/2015
Missing From Horicon, New York
Classification Lost/Injured Missing
Sex Male
Race White
Date of Birth 03/14/1933 (87)
Age 82 years old
Height and Weight 5'10, 160 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A camouflage-print jacket and camouflage-print coveralls or pants, duck boots, gloves, and an old red and black checkered hat. Carrying a walkie-talking and a rifle.
Medical Conditions Messick has poor hearing and vision, a bad back and a history of heart problems. He was recovering from shingles at the time of his disappearance.
Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Gray hair, blue eyes. Messick's right eye is missing; he lost it in an explosion in his twenties.
Details of Disappearance
Messick was last seen hunting with friends and relatives on state land in the Lake George Wild Forest near Brant Lake near Horicon, New York at 10:00 a.m. November 15, 2015. The group separated a short distance off Lily Pond Road, with plans to meet up at an agreed-upon location at 2:00 p.m.
Messick never arrived at the rendezvous point, and his hunting party began searching for him. At 4:30 p.m., after they were unable to find him, they contacted forest rangers. Four rangers searched the area until midnight, and the subsequent volunteer-assisted search lasted weeks, but no sign of Messick was ever located.
According to his wife of over fifty years, Messick is an experienced hunter and woodsman and, if he had gotten lost, he would have cut off a piece of his jacket and tied it to a tree to mark his path. Due to his age and health issues, authorities don't believe he could have gotten very far on his own. His case remains unsolved and his family believes he's deceased.
