Alan Rhys Dowden
Dowden, circa 2003; Some of Dowden's tattoos
- Missing Since10/26/2003
- Missing From Camilla, Texas
- Classification Missing
- Sex Male
- Race White
- Date of Birth 07/06/1974 (48)
- Age 29 years old
- Height and Weight 5'8 - 5'10, 160 - 175 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A red baseball cap that said "Texas", a camouflage print t-shirt, Wrangler blue jeans and size 9 1/2 Justin cowboy boots.
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Dowden has the following tattoos: the letters "LPC" on his left bicep, a skull wearing a hat on his right bicep, a shark smoking a cigar on his lower right bicep, two roosters fighting on his abdomen, a snake coming out of his navel, and the name "Rebeccah" on the back of his right shoulder. Photographs of the LPC tattoo, the skull tattoo, and the shark tattoo are posted with this case summary.
Details of Disappearance
Dowden was last seen at approximately 2:30 p.m. on October 26, 2003, standing at the west end of the Trinity River Dam east of Camilla, Texas. He has never been heard from again. Few details are available in his case.
Some agencies report that Dowden disappeared from Coldspring, Texas.
View NamUs missing person case MP936 for Alan Rhys Dowden missing from Camilla, Texas. Date of last contact: Oct 26, 2003. NCMEC case number: --.
namus.nij.ojp.gov
MISSING
Jamie Nash
Aug. 17, 2005
Dowden was visiting his father's lake house in Camilla, accompanied by his three children, his girlfriend and her twins, and an adult female relative of the girlfriend. It was Sunday, October 26, 2003. The two women told Dowden's family that he disappeared after he had been playing with the children outside. He and the children were walking near the Trinity river when all of the children except seven-year-old Kayla returned to the house.
Gay Dowden, Alan's mother, says Kayla told her that the man went behind a nearby dune to "use the bathroom". The child waited for an undetermined length of time and finally went back to the house. It is unknown what transpired between that point and when Gay Dowden got the worst phone call of her life. It was the next day before she knew her son was missing. She says she was too upset to make an issue of that point at the time.
Dowden and her sister, Debbie Stroud went to the house to assist in the search. She says it was difficult to get anyone in law enforcement to take the disappearance seriously at first, because of his age. Dowden says she was told that he simply walked away and would return soon. She says in her heart she knew that was wrong. She says her son did not have his wallet or his car keys with him when he disappeared, and neither his truck nor any of his belongings were taken.
San Jacinto County Sheriff Lacy Rogers and now deceased Detective Lt. Jim Turner went to the lake house to investigate. Dowden says there were cross words between the two women who were there at the time of the disappearance and the sheriff because the women maintained they had contacted police the day before, but no officer ever arrived. She says Rogers told her there had been no such call. She says Rogers and Turner were joined by Officer Leonard Johnson, who walked around the area Dowden was last said to have been seen. She says the three men told her it was likely her son had walked and would return.
According to Dowden, her son was recently divorced at the time of his disappearance, but both he and his ex-wife had begun new relationships. She says he was working for his father, Roger Dowden, in his construction and house moving business. She says he seemed to have things going his way, and had even told her he stopped smoking about a month earlier. "I'm not saying he didn't walk away," says Dowden, "but in my heart I believe he didn't." She says her son had never stayed out of touch with her for any length of time. She also says she cannot believe her son would walk away from the children he treasured.
Stroud says a couple of days later, when Dowden had not reappeared, a group of deputies searched the area on 4-wheelers, donkeys, horses, and on foot. She says no evidence of any kind was found. Stroud and Dowden had also searched extensively, along with friends and family. There was never a trace of evidence located that might begin to unravel the mysterious disappearance.
Eventually, the family contacted Equusearch, a Texas based search and recovery team. She says the organization's volunteers organized local volunteers consisting of friends and family and performed a grid search of the lake house area. They also took dogs and searched for clues. Again, there was no trace. She went on television and had the information in every area newspaper willing to take it. The Equusearch team gave her the expensive DNA kit so that she could provide samples to the SJCSO. Dowden says she gave the sample to Lt. Turner and believes he forwarded it to a nationwide database.
The two sisters also contacted law enforcement in Polk County at the urging of Equusearch's Tim Miller. The missing man was a resident of Polk County, so the Sheriff's Office there also launched an investigation. They had several persons of interest take voluntary polygraph tests. Dowden says she was told that although some of those people appeared to be dishonest with police, there was simply no evidence that anyone had done anything.
The case has been reopened by San Jacinto County Chief Deputy Morgan Bennett, at the request of Constable Lou Rogers, who was contacted by Stroud. Rogers says Stroud asked him to look into reports that two men in their twenties were fishing and snagged something in the water near where Dowden disappeared. The men reportedly said it was very heavy and appeared to be something rolled in carpet.
After the case was reopened, law enforcement dragged the area in boats. Rogers says the object the two fisherman found may have been something they also snagged. It turned out to be tangled trotlines that were weighted down with dense wet moss, giving a carpet like appearance and a heavy weight. Nothing else of significance was found. The family is still hoping that the reopening of the case will yield answers.
Dowden says the Equusearch website made her realize something she did not want to face. "Some people are never found," she says. Nonetheless, she has not given up hope. She continues to go to her job every day, no longer taking off to participate in searches. To the outside world, it may appear that Dowden is moving on with her life, but she says until her son is found, that cannot happen.
Alan Rhys Dowden is 5'8", weighs 160 lbs, has brown hair and eyes. He has distinguishing tattoos. The letters LPC are on his left bicep. A skull wearing a cowboy hat is on his right bicep. A shark smoking a cigar is on his lower right bicep, and two roosters fighting are tattooed on his abdomen. There is a tattoo of a snake coming out of his navel, and the name Rebeccah is on his back right shoulder. He was last seen wearing a camouflage t-shirt, Justin ropers, a red Texas baseball cap and blue jeans.
Anyone with any information regarding Dowden's whereabouts is asked to contact Chief Deputy Morgan Bennett at the San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office at (936)653-4367 or Constable Lou Rogers at 936-377-5412.
Dowden was visiting his father's lake house in Camilla, accompanied by his three children,...
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