Found Deceased TX - Joe Roy McMillian, 79, Panola County, 21 May 2020

[ADKGemini]

$5,000 reward offered in missing Panola County man's case

McMillian was last seen Thursday, May 21 on FM 1970 in the Clayton area. McMillian is a black man, 79-years-old, 5-foot 11 inches tall, weighing about 280 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a red shirt and blue jeans. He is diabetic and showing early signs of dementia.

A silver alert has been issued in the case.

The Panola County Sheriff's Office says McMillian left his home on County Road 302 to run errands and never returned. He was driving a blue, single-cab 2004 GMC Sierra truck with the license plate DMK 2975.

 

[Darling136]

Panola County Sheriff initial post
Panola County Texas Sheriff's Office

Post with update
Panola County Texas Sheriff's Office

 

[mlhenn]

Search for missing Carthage man now focused in Livingston

On Monday, the search for a Panola County man, missing for nearly two weeks, focused on a stretch of U.S. Highway 59 in Livingston.
Surveillance video shows McMillian leaving a business on FM 1970 just after three that afternoon.

Later, video captured along Highway 59 shows what investigators believe to be his blue single cab 2004 GMC Sierra truck driving through Nacogdoches and continuing south.

The Panola County Sheriff’s department had officers checking video surveillance from gas stations and other businesses along highway 59 in Livingston today. McMillian’s family also continued their part of the search near a Livingston gas station.
McMillian said Livingston is the last place they have video of his truck.

 

[ADKGemini]

Joe is now in NamUs: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[mlhenn]

Finding Joe Roy McMillian

Find fb page set up

 

[mlhenn]

With no new leads, search continues for missing Panola county man

It has now been over three weeks since 79-year-old Joe Roy McMillian went missing.


Moving forward, they plan to reach out to search organizations like Texas Equusearch for more help.

On Thursday, the Panola County Sheriff’s Office requested help from the Texas Rangers to conduct an aerial search along U.S. Highway 59 South in Livingston and near the Goodrich area where McMillian’s vehicle was last seen near a gas station. They did not locate McMillian or his vehicle.

 

[Tripod]

Prayers for Joe.

 

[CastlesBurning]

No new leads in missing persons cases for Joe Roy McMillian and Bettie Smith

 

[mlhenn]

Search continues for elderly Panola County man missing more than two months

The family of an 80-year-old Panola County man missing for more than two months is still holding on to hope.

McMillian’s truck — a blue, single-cab 2004 GMC Sierra with Texas license plate DMK-2975 — is also missing.

With no leads, Michael said it has been a process of elimination. Their most recent search was last week along the Trinity River.

 

[GuyfromCanada]

Found deceased.

Body of 80-year-old East Texas man missing since May found in submerged truck in Freeport

 

[mlhenn]

Found deceased.

Body of 80-year-old East Texas man missing since May found in submerged truck in Freeport

Oh no! How sad!!

 

[mlhenn]

PCSO: Remains found believed to be missing Joe Roy McMillian

Panola County Sheriff Kevin Lake said officials in Brazoria County called his office Thursday morning and said they had found a truck matching the one Joe Roy McMillian had been driving when he was reported missing.

Officials in Freeport found the truck while recovering two other vehicles that had gone off the roadway in a sharp curve and entered a bayou, Lake said. They found human remains in the truck and believe they are McMillian, based on evidence, he said.

Missing Carthage man believed dead after truck found in Brazoria County

Panola County Sheriff Kevin Lake says the truck belonging to a missing man has been found in Brazoria County and Joe Roy McMillian is believed to be dead.
Brazoria County officials told Panola County investigators that the location where Mr. McMillian’s truck was discovered is in a curve in the roadway, where they work numerous auto accidents, which results in vehicles traveling from the roadway into the water.

 

[mlhenn]

Body of elderly man missing since May found in submerged truck in Freeport

Confirmed Deceased
A sharp curve and a deep bayou claimed the lives of two Texas men months apart. Both victims were found inside their pickup trucks submerged in a marshy area of Freeport.
Police found his truck Thursday while investigating an unrelated fatal traffic accident. McMillian's remains were found inside.

 

[CocoChanel]

I have learned here on Websleuths that missing persons who were driving, and their car is missing also, are frequently found in bodies of water, sometimes many months after going missing. It is a tragedy that it happens so often, particularly when the missing person is an older adult. It is probably one of the first considerations in missing-adult-in-vehicle cases, but I can only imagine how difficult it is to thoroughly search all nearby bodies of water.

In THIS case however, Mr. McMillan was found submerged in his vehicle in Freeport, TX, some 4 hours away from his home in Carthage TX. This article states he was diabetic and showing signs of early dementia. He was found in a deep bayou when authorities were looking for an accident victim in the Freeport area. Mr. McMillian may have gotten lost and driven some 275 miles from his central TX home to the coastal area, and would not be familiar at all with where he was. I wonder if he had to stop and get gas along the way because that is a far distance. It is heartbreaking that this happened, and so worrisome that it did.

Missing Carthage man believed dead after truck found in Brazoria County

 

[YaYa_521]

Rest in peace, Mr. McMillian.

 

[mlhenn]

I have learned here on Websleuths that missing persons who were driving, and their car is missing also, are frequently found in bodies of water, sometimes many months after going missing. It is a tragedy that it happens so often, particularly when the missing person is an older adult. It is probably one of the first considerations in missing-adult-in-vehicle cases, but I can only imagine how difficult it is to thoroughly search all nearby bodies of water.

In THIS case however, Mr. McMillan was found submerged in his vehicle in Freeport, TX, some 4 hours away from his home in Carthage TX. This article states he was diabetic and showing signs of early dementia. He was found in a deep bayou when authorities were looking for an accident victim in the Freeport area. Mr. McMillian may have gotten lost and driven some 275 miles from his central TX home to the coastal area, and would not be familiar at all with where he was. I wonder if he had to stop and get gas along the way because that is a far distance. It is heartbreaking that this happened, and so worrisome that it did.

Missing Carthage man believed dead after truck found in Brazoria County

That very well could be what happened. It stated in several articles he had family in the Houston area. He may have been going to visit them and got confused & lost. Brazoria Co is less than an hour from Houston.