COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — The family of a Metro East man missing since last July is asking for your help bringing him home.
As the community around them celebrates the start of the holiday season, "we're just sitting here in the dark,” Aaron Wells said.
Aaron and Amanda Wells can't help but think about their brother, Donald Farris Jr, who was last seen July 3, 2022.
"People don't just disappear,” Wells said.
Initially, people placed Farris at a Collinsville gas station the night of his disappearance.
"They had already deleted all of the camera footage to see who he was with,” Aaron Wells said.
"They pinged his phone and it pinged over on Chapel Drive, which is strange,” Amanda Wells said.
Nearly a year and a half later, Farris' family is still searching for answers.
"I'm tired of waiting, so we're taking our dogs out there and looking,” said Aaron Wells. “Our dogs loved Donnie."
"We've had possible leads only for them to turn up empty,” said Amanda Wells.
"You hear about cases going on for 10 years with zero leads,” said Aaron Wells. “That's crazy!"
The hardest part for Farris family is not knowing what happened.
"With Donnie, there's no closure,” said Amanda Wells. “We're just sitting here wondering everyday are you still alive? Are you still with us? Are they torturing him? Does somebody have him? It could be anything."
With so many questions left unanswered, Farris' loved ones are asking for the community's help solving this mystery.
"We'd appreciate it if somebody would step up and help us out,” said Amanda Wells. “Just be honest. At this point, I don't even care what happened. We want closure. We need closure and our children do too."
Anyone with any information about the disappearance of Donald Farris Jr. is being asked to contact the Madison County Sheriff's Office.
You can also share tips and follow along with the Wells' search for answers here.
