Missing
Ellis Faison Sr.
Faison, approximately 1989
Date and time person was reported missing : 08/09/1989
Missing location (approx) :
Kenansville, North Carolina
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
Black
DOB : 07/12/1925 (96)
Age at the time of disappearance: 64 years old
Height / Weight : 5'3, 115 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A yellow t-shirt, a cap and no shoes.
Medical conditions : Faison is an alcoholic.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: African-American male. Gray hair, brown eyes. Faison's right pinky finger is crooked and he limps on his right leg.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Faison was last seen in Kenansville, North Carolina on August 9, 1989. That evening, he thought he saw some Caucasian teenAge at the time of disappearance: rs inside his car, a four-door Pontiac Bonneville he kept locked and parked next to his house.
Once at 9:00 p.m. and then again at 9:30 p.m., he summoned the police to look at the car, but when they shined their flashlights into the vehicle they didn't see anything suspicious, and there were no footprints in the wet driveway besides Faison's.
About two hours after the second police visit, between 11:30 p.m. and midnight, Faison walked out his front door and vanished. He has never been heard from again.
Faison had been behaving very oddly before his disappearance; authorities believe his mind was affected by a combination of alcohol and prescription medication. He held long conversations with deceased relatives on the day he vanished, and even asked his wife to get them some water.
Searchers found Faison's hat in a neighbor's yard and a coffee mug full of whiskey in his carport. His shoes were found at his home. Faison's loved ones stated he never went anywhere, even inside his own home, without shoes on because he was afraid of snakes. The neighbor who last saw Faison said he was running through her yard yelling, and appeared very frightened.
She saw another man walk by a few minutes later. He was tall, with a stocky build, light skin, long slicked-back hair and a limp. He was wearing dark-colored overalls and the neighbor thought he might have escaped from the local jail. The neighbor called the police to report a prowler, but the police couldn't find the man and he has never been identified.
Authorities at first theorized that Faison had left of his own accord because his wife wanted to enroll him in a detoxification program, or that he wandered off and died. They reconsidered these theories, however, as months and years passed without Faison or his body being located. One of his sons believes he was murdered on the night of his disappearance.
Faison served in the Navy during World War II. For most of his life he worked as a carpenter and repairman for the county school system. His wife died in 1994, but his two sons are still alive and hope he will be found. His case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Kenansville Police Department
910-296-0369
September 2021 updates and sources
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The North Carolina News and Observer
October 12, 2004. May 9, 2010; .
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
