JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. — The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office asked for the public's help in a missing veteran case. It's been two years since Richard Jones went missing, and police said details of where Jones might be were few and far between.
Lt. Matt Moore with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said the 44-year-old veteran from House Springs hasn't been seen since June 2022. That's why police are looking for any tips from the public about the man who just disappeared one day.
"I would just like some tips to come in from the public to point us in a direction that we don't have right now," Moore said.
There are more questions than answers for the sheriff's office surrounding what happened to Jones, Moore said.
"We've had some members of the military that have reached out to us. They don't even know Richard. They're just interested in it because he was a member of the military," he said.
The vet was reported missing by his landlord in June 2022 after not paying rent for three months, Moore said.
"It's pretty inconsistent for his behavior. During that time, he had paid all of his bills on time, he had automatic withdrawals set up in his bank account. Seems like a pretty responsible guy," he said.
The questions piled on more for police, Moore said, after they searched Jones' home and realized he left his military medals, uniform and car.
"When we went inside of his home, we didn't see any blood, any sign of a struggle, nothing like a cleanup," he said.
Just one month before Jones was reported missing, a Franklin County sheriff's deputy saw him walking along the side of the road with a backpack and a walking stick. Moore said the deputy gave Jones a courtesy ride to a campground in St. Clair.
"We talked to the people at the campground. They said, 'We were closed during that time,'" he said.
The deputy who gave Jones the ride told Moore there was nothing suspicious about his behavior. The department also received tips that Jones was at a Dollar General in St. Clair, but Moore said it was too late.
"We're talking about three months later that we're getting, three to four months later, that we're getting this information, so by that time, a lot of the video has been written over," he said.
Even though the campground in St. Clair was the last place Jones was seen, Moore said he believes it's unlikely they find him anywhere in that vicinity.
"Probably outside the Jefferson County, Franklin County area since it's been two years. We've got a lot of ground to cover," he said.
Detectives said Jones had a pay-as-you-go phone, so once the money in his bank account ran out, their chance of tracking him through his phone stopped. There's another hurdle, said Lt. Moore, that makes the case more difficult though.
"The neighbors that I talked to said he was a recluse. They rarely saw him outside, and he really didn't have much contact with any family members," he said.
Because no crime is associated with Jones' case yet, Moore said detectives are restricted.
"We are a little bit more limited, as far as subpoenas, search warrants and having some legal standing to investigate this," he said.
Moore said that's why the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office has one main goal with this case.
"We're not looking to track him down for any other reason, just to check on him and make sure that he's okay and let everyone know he's doing alright," he said.
If you have any information about Jones' case, call the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Detective Bureau at 636-797-5515.