69 replies to this topic

[Kelly]

http://www.11alive.c...?storyid=108222

More Help in Search for Missing Teen

Reported by: Jerry Carnes
Last Modified: 12/19/2007 9:41:05 AM

Erika Wilson's didn’t have the heart to put up her Christmas tree this year. Her daughter had to do it.

Now, Erika finds it hard to look at a tree that smiles at her with homemade ornaments made years ago by her son Justin.

"It's torture,” said Wilson. “Without Justin, how can it be the same? When you don't know where your child is, when you go to sleep when it's cold outside and you don't know if he's warm, it's hard to think about Christmas."

It's been well over a month now since 18-year-old Justin Gaines was captured on security video entering Wild Bill's Club in Duluth.
His family and friends have searched a 30 square mile area around the club trying to find out what's happened since that night, without any success.

Now, they want to decorate the area with billboards and buttons and posters to remind everyone of the case.

The owners of Urban Flats restaurant in Snellville have declared this Thursday “Justin Gaines Day of Hope.” The business will donate all of that day's profits to help the family pay for their efforts.

"There's a mom and dad and five or six brothers and sisters who are hurting,” said owner Bob Rodgers. “We wanted to do something to benefit them."

Erika Wilson said one of Justin's brothers once asked for a laptop computer to take to college next year. Now, he says he wants nothing for Christmas except to have his brother back home. Erika, meanwhile, avoids her Christmas tree except to look at one ornament, and angel given to her by a friend.

"It says ‘you're in my hearts and prayers,’" said Wilson. "It's there for Justin so he comes home safely."

[Kelly]

http://www.11alive.c...?storyid=108476

Tough Christmas for Missing Teen's Family

Written by: Duffie Dixon
Last Modified: 12/24/2007 12:07:34 AM

As some are cleaning up in the kitchen others catch up with cousins while others fuss over the newest babies in the family. By all outward appearances this is a typical family Christmas dinner until you notice the sudden, fallen faces and palpable moments of sadness as they remember who's not there.

"It's not the same its not Christmas it's not anything like Christmas," said 21-year-old Joe Wilson.

He misses his younger brother, Justin Gaines, who's been missing now for nearly two months. His absence is felt hardest by his parents Steven and Erika Wilson.

"Christmas won't be the same you go through the motions because of the other kids can't go without because you're not emotional there but it still won't be the same," said Steven Wilson.

Justin Gaines is a freshman at Gainesville College and lives in Athens. Friends last saw him the night of November 1, 2007 going into the nightclub Wild Bills in Gwinnett County. Friends say all he had with him was two fake IDs, a little cash and a cell phone. According to one friend, Justin called him asking for a ride home but the friend couldn't make it. Justin was never heard from again.

For Justin's mother spending Thanksgiving without him was hard enough. Christmas, she says, is excruciating.

"Every day is harder. New Year's is going to be hard because it will be two months that he hasn't been home if he doesn't come home before then," said his mother.

Gwinnett county police are investigating Gaines' disappearance and the family has hired a private detective. In the meantime they've set up a website in Justin's name, www.justingaines.com, along with erecting billboards and passing out an estimated 5,000 flyers. Now all they can do is wait for someone to call the toll free hotline number with information.

"Somebody knows where he is and I just wish they'd let us know so we could find him and know what's going on to help our family," cried Erika Wilson.

[Kelly]

http://www.ajc.com/m...story_1223.html

Family still lives with not knowing

By ANDRIA SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 12/23/07

It is surely every mother's worst nightmare having a child who doesn't come home.

Erika Wilson and her husband, Steve Wilson, of Snellville, are still living that nightmare today, almost two months after their 18-year-old son Justin Gaines disappeared from a Duluth nightclub on Nov. 1. There have been no solid clues, no leads to follow, no body, nothing. It must be, in a word, terrifying.

Gaines vanished a few hours after friends dropped him off at Wild Bill's nightclub in the Gwinnett Place mall area of Duluth.

Friends have told Gaines' family that he used fake IDs to buy alcohol that night, a commonplace infraction for fun-seeking college students.

The muscular, outgoing teenager was last heard from shortly before 2 a.m., when he made several calls from his cellphone to friends asking for a ride home. None of his buddies were able to pick him up, and he never returned home, family members said.

The former Brookwood High School student was living near Athens, attending the Oconee campus of Gainesville College, but he frequently returned to Snellville to visit his family on weekends.

The family graciously allowed me into their home as search parties organized in the weeks after the disappearance and allowed me to witness their emotional roller coaster. I don't know if I could have done the same in their place.

Something else that touched me even more than this family's tragic circumstances was their obvious love and concern for one another. They were short on sleep and worried out of their minds. On top of that, they had to worry about caring for the six other children in their blended family. Yet in the banquet hall of Berkmar United Methodist Church in Duluth, while search party volunteers organized one morning, I saw Erica Wilson lean into her husband and whisper "I love you," as he patted her arm and replied, "I love you, too."

Steve Wilson rarely let his wife out of his sight, worrying aloud to me at one point, "She could fall apart at any minute." Gaines' grandparents also jumped in, eager to help, and they were thrilled to be given the task of handling the sign-up sheet for volunteers.

Each day, I hoped there would be some news to bring this family closure, even if it was the worst-case scenario that he had been found dead. It never happened. The family went on to celebrate Thanksgiving without him, and now it appears that Christmas will be the same.

The Wilson family remains determined to find him. They have hired a private investigator, opened a Justin Gaines search fund and started a nonprofit organization to help pay for fliers and billboards. Every Thursday, they return to the "18-and-up" night at Wild Bill's to put fliers on all the cars, hoping patrons will provide a clue to Gaines' disappearance.

"This is the hardest thing, just not knowing anything," Erica Wilson said in an interview last month, adding "I'll never give up on finding my baby, never."

• Andria Simmons is the AJC Gwinnett News police news and courts reporter. Reach her at 770-263-3660. If you have any information on this missing persons case, call 1-877-270-9500.

[Denise]

http://media.www.red...s-3147766.shtml

Stay alert, help prevent crimes

TAMARA BEST
Issue date: 1/9/08 Section: News

The recent disappearances of three people highlight the need for student safety awareness.

Authorities continue to search for Cayle Bywater, 29, a University graduate student, whose family said Monday in a news conference she may have been kidnapped. Bywater was last seen the afternoon of Dec. 29 in Memorial Park.

The body of Meredith Emerson, a 24-year-old University alumna, was found Monday evening, and the whereabouts of Justin Gaines, a Gainesville State College student reported missing in early November, remain unknown.

Authorities believe Emerson was kidnapped in Vogel State Park. Gaines was last seen at Wild Bill's bar in suburban Atlanta.

The University Office of Security lists three variables affecting crime on campus: ability, desire and opportunity.

"Being alert when you are out is important and although it is good to travel in numbers, that sometimes gives a false sense of security because you can get separated," said Larry Gourdine, relationship and sexual violence prevention coordinator at the Office of Violence and Prevention.

SAFETY TIPS TO LIVE BY
• Doors should be made of metal or wood
• Do not prop open the door to a locked campus building or residence hall
• Close curtains or blinds at night
• Always lock doors to dorm rooms or apartments
• Use solid deadbolt locks and make sure peepholes have been installed
• Bushes and shrubbery around a house or apartment door should be cut below
window height to reduce the risk of
attackers hiding
• Apartments located above the first floor are safer
• Park in well-lit and populated areas
• Never accept a ride from someone you have met recently
• Alcohol and drugs impair judgment and ability to express decisions
• Alcohol or drugs play a role in 79 percent of sexual assault incidents on college
campuses

[Denise]

http://www.11alive.c...?storyid=109457

Search for Gaines Expands

Reported by: 11Alive Staff
Last Modified: 1/12/2008 6:04:25 PM

The search for a missing teenager from Gwinnett County has expanded. Family and friends of 18-year-old Justin Gaines passed out flyers in Cherokee County Saturday.

Gaines was last seen at Wild Bill's night club in Duluth on November 1, 2007.

At the Wal-Mart parking lot in Canton, volunteers also sold bracelets to help fund the search.

If you have any information about Gaines' whereabouts you can leave anonymous tips at 1-877-270-9500 or call Gwinnett County Police.

[Denise]

http://www.wsbtv.com...ss=atl&psp=news

Friends and Family Of Missing Gwinnett County Teenager Hope Pizza Boxes Will Help Find Him

POSTED: 6:12 pm EST January 26, 2008
UPDATED: 10:10 pm EST January 26, 2008

kENNESAW, Georgia -- This weekend, owners of Grand Slam Pizza in Kennesaw are putting flyers of the missing college student on its pizza boxes hoping it will help find Gaines.

Family and Friends are desperate to find clues that will resolve the case.

His family chose Kennesaw because someone in the area recognized his picture on an old flier.

[Denise]

http://www.morningjo..._id=46371&rfi=6

18-year-old North Ridgeville native remains missing after visit to night club in Georgia

MATT SUMAN, Morning Journal Writer
01/29/2008

NORTH RIDGEVILLE -- An 18-year-old man who once lived in North Ridgeville has been missing since he vanished from a night club in Georgia in early November 2007.

Justin Gaines, 18, of Athens, Ga., went to Wild Bill's, a night club in Duluth, Ga., on Nov. 1 and was last seen trying to find a ride home between 1:30 and 2 a.m. on Nov. 2, his father, Richard Gaines of North Ridgeville, said. On average, 1,500 to 3,000 people pack in at Wild Bill's on a given Thursday night, said Erika Wilson, Justin Gaines' mother, of Snellville, Ga.
 
Just before crowds began to file out of the club, Wilson said, her son made 17 calls trying to find a ride home in the early morning of Nov. 2. Gaines was last wearing a long-sleeve Abercrombie & Fitch shirt, ripped jeans and light tennis shoes with orange markings, Wilson said.

''After his last (phone) call at two o'clock we have no idea what happened,'' said his father.

There has been no indication of foul play with Justin Gaines' disappearance, but police are still actively investigating the missing person case, said Gwinett County police Detective Sgt. Curtis Clemons.

''There have been a lot of leads that have come in,'' he said.

But it's still unclear who was the last person to see Justin Gaines, Clemons said.

''Everything ends with Wild Bill's,'' he said.

Police have received conflicting stories about whether Justin Gaines left the night club alone or with others, Clemons said. Wilson, a graduate of North Ridgeville High School, last saw her son on the night of Nov. 1 before a friend picked him up.

''I'll see you this weekend,'' Justin Gaines told his mother before he left, she said. ''I love you guys.''

His family searched for about a week before Texas Equisearch and the Georgia Defense Force came to the area to help, Wilson said.

''He more than likely didn't leave on foot,'' she said.

Both Wilson and Richard Gaines have not given up hope that their son is still alive. Wilson still goes to Wild Bill's every Thursday to hand out fliers with information about her son hoping to run into the right person.

Justin Gaines' family is offering a $50,000 reward for his safe return or $13,000 for information that leads to his whereabouts, Wilson said. The $50,000 has been given to a search fund from an anonymous donor, and Wilson said loved ones raised the $13,000.

On Feb. 2., three months since he was last seen, Quaker Steak & Lube in Sheffield Village plans to contribute a portion of its sales to the search fund, Richard Gaines said.

Justin Gaines was going to school at Gainesville State College and was renting an apartment in Athens, Ga., his father said. He had not decided on a major, but was interested in computers and graphics, Richard Gaines said.

Wilson described the first few days as an emotional roller coaster ride that put her in shock. She has put aside her job as a real estate agent to find her son.

''It definitely gets harder,'' Wilson said of dealing with a missing son. ''I have it through my head he is missing.''

Anyone with information about the Justin Gaines missing person case is urged to call Gwinett County Police at (770) 513-5300.

[Denise]

http://www.accessnor...il.php?n=206705

New developments in case of missing GSC student

By Ashley Cox Staff 

LAWRENCEVILLE - Gwinnett Police renewed their call on Friday for the publics' help in the case of the November disappearance of Justin Gaines - a student at the Oconee campus of Gainesville State College.

Cpl. Illana Spellman said investigators are currently working leads that may support evidence of foul play in the case. She could not elaborate on what that evidence might be.

Gaines' family has increased their monetary reward from $13,000 to $25,000 to anyone who can provide information about his whereabouts.

Gaines has been missing since November 1.

He is described as being 5'11" tall and weighing 210 pounds with a muscular build. He has blue eyes and brown hair with a short buzz cut. Both of his ears are pierced with diamond studs.

He was last seen wearing a long-sleeved, gray shirt with "Abercrombie" written on the front, blue jeans with holes and flip flops.

Anyone with information on Gaines' whereabouts or anyone who has seen him is encouraged to call the Gwinnett County Police Department at 770-513-5300.

[Denise]

http://gwinnettheral..._in_Duluth.html

Dove release marks three month disappearance in Duluth
 
by Tana Suggs write the author

February 08, 2008 | 02:23 PM

DULUTH - Erika Wilson has a new full-time job she never applied for and never wanted. For the past three months, Wilson, a real estate agent, has used the marketing skills she normally uses to sell homes to search for her son, Justin Gaines, an 18-year old college student who went missing Nov. 2 after a night out at Wild Bill's in Duluth.

On Feb. 2, a dove release was held by the lake at Bethesda Park in Lilburn to commemorate the three month anniversary of his disappearance.

"Doves always find their way home," said Wilson. "That is what I want my son to do. I want him to find his way home."

Gaines, a 2007 Brookwood High School graduate who lives in Athens and attends Gainesville State College, came home Thursday, Nov. 1, to his mother and stepfather's house in Snellville for a weekend visit.

While leaving his wallet and car behind, he grabbed a little cash, a fake I.D., and his cell phone and took off with friends who ended up dropping him off at Wild Bill's. When it came time to leave the club, Gaines called friends for a ride home. Wilson said cell phone records indicate he made about 17 phone calls between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m., but he couldn't find a ride home. She said not one of those calls was made to her or Steven, his stepfather.

Wilson said she didn't think much about the fact Justin didn't come back to the house that night. Since he had moved out to go to college, she said he frequently came home for the weekend and it was not unusual for him to stay at a friend's house.

At first she said she attempted to contact her son on his cell phone but was greeted by his voice mail. Then Saturday, she began contacting his friends, and while they didn't know where he was, they didn't seem to think there was cause for concern. But by Sunday afternoon when no one had seen or heard from him, family and friends started to worry. That's when Wilson reported her son as missing to Gwinnett County Police, and she began a massive search to find him.

"We gathered people in the community and started searching, fanning out from Wild Bill's and going into other areas," said Wilson.

The search garnered media attention and help from the Georgia State Defense Force and Texas Equusearch, a nonprofit search and recovery team for lost and missing persons.

But despite the efforts, no clues surrounding Gaines' disappearance or his whereabouts were found.

And needless to say, his disappearance has been very difficult for the family.

Wilson said it's like a jail sentence with no end.

"At least a person who is in trouble, they know when their sentence is over," said Wilson. "It's like an ongoing sentence for our family and you don't know when it's going to end."

But she said she still has hope and faith, and she said the support from the community has helped in a big way.

"When you feel down and want to curl up and just cry, you think about the people out there that you don't even know. Every day people are doing something for us," Wilson said.

Keeping focused on finding her son helps keep her strong, but she admits she is treading new territory and doesn't want to plan too far ahead.

"There's no handbook for what to do when your child goes missing," said Wilson.

So for now, she is taking it one day at a time.

The case is ongoing.

For more information about Justin Gaines, visit the Web site at www.justingaines.com.

[Denise]

http://www.wkyc.com/...&provider=gnews

Local family asks for help in search for missing college student

Created: 2/7/2008 5:49:49 PM
Updated:2/8/2008 5:25:01 AM

How could an 18-year-old college freshman vanish from the face of the earth?
That's what the family of Justin Gaines has been asking since November 1 when the Gainesville College freshman, who grew up in Elyria and North Ridgeville, was last seen at a club near the college.

Security video from Wild Bills in Duluth, Georgia, shows Justin entering the club that evening, high-fiving friends.

The friends he had come with left early. Justin said he would find a ride home
to where he lives with his mother, Erika Wilson.

He was last seen sitting on a bench in front of Wild Bill's, making cell phone calls, apparently calling friends for a ride. He reached only one friend who told him he couldn't help him.

Later, a security guard at the club said Gaines told him he had a ride.

"Someone knows where he is and I wish they would just let us know so we could find him or know what's going on," Mrs. Wilson said.

Searches over a four mile radius from the club have turned up nothing.

"I think he got a ride with the wrong person," said Kelli McGill, Justin's aunt who lives in the Cleveland area.

"The not knowing is the torture. You can't not know," she said.

Justin's local family is holding an informational fund-raiser at Quaker Steak and Lube in Sheffield Village through midnight Thursday.

They are giving out flyers, pictures of Justin and "Hope" bracelets.

Justin's father, Richard Gaines, has traveled to Georgia to take part in the searches.

"My mind goes crazy sometimes, thinking of what might have happened to him," he said.

A reward is being offered for information on the disappearance of Justin Gaines.

[Lori Davis]

Justin Gaine's case on AMW

http://www.amw.com/m...ef.cfm?id=51347

[Denise]

From Justin's website:

Sat. March. 29th @ 4 p.m
Benefit Dinner
6805 Lear Nagle Rd
North Ridgeville
Ohio
See flyer below.

[Denise]

http://www.chronicle...-will-be-found/

Family holds onto hope missing man will be found

Jason Hawk | The Chronicle-Telegram

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — Under other circumstances, the burgers, beer and country music at VFW Post 9871 would have put smiles on everyone’s faces.

Instead, the mood Saturday night was somber as the family of North Ridgeville native Justin Gaines raised money to continue the search for the 18-year-old college student who disappeared from his Georgia home five months ago Wednesday.

“We’re very hopeful until we find proof otherwise that Justin is alive and safe somewhere,” said his aunt, Kelli McGill.

Justin’s mother, Erika Wilson, said her son went out with friends on Halloween and was last seen at a Georgia bar called Wild Bill’s.

He asked her what shirt he should wear because he was going out to meet girls, Wilson said.

Police told the family recently that they now believe Justin’s disappearance is due to foul play, though they won’t tell Wilson why they believe that.

She said detectives give her weekly updates on the search for her son — saying they are looking at phone records and trying to get Justin back on “America’s Most Wanted,” which has featured his story twice.

The Georgia State Defense Force has already conducted two widespread searches, McGill said, and the family continues to print fliers and hire experts to look for Gaines.

Wilson also has a private investigator trying to track down her son. She said the PI has been volunteering for months, but they want to raise money to pay him to stay on the trail seven days a week.

Justin moved to Georgia as a second-grader, and many of his old friends have rallied around the family in the past few months, Justin’s aunt, Lisa Stout, said.

“People we don’t even know have helped us. The whole family is touched,” she said.

Gaines’ family also was raffling off things Saturday, including a Cleveland Browns helmet donated by Riddell. McGill said she was hoping the dinner and raffles would raise about $4,000 to continue the search for Justin.

This will be an especially tough week for the family, she said. Monday will mark Justin’s 19th birthday.

A nationwide fund has been set up through National City Bank to help fund the family’s search. Contributions may be made at any branch.

[Kelly]

http://www.11alive.c...14&provider=top

Missing Teen's Birthday Celebrated

Web Editor: Catherine Kim
Last Modified: 3/31/2008 8:26:48 AM

Five months have passed and the family of Gwinnett County teen Justin Gaines is no closer to finding him. He disappeared after a trip to a nightclub in Duluth. Now, another tough milestone approaches as the search continues

For the Gaines family, this week is both marked and marred by the day of Justin's birth and his disappearance. April 1st is Justin's 19th Birthday. Wednesday will mark the fifth month Justin never came home. Both milestones come just as the family got word from Gwinnett Police that officers may be closing the investigation.

As they watch their youngest son on the field, Steven and Erika Wilson occassionally can't help but look around still hoping to see their eldest son cheering on beside them.

"His missing from every function, every weekend, everytime we got out and do something. We always look because there's always one less of us there," said Steven Wilson, Justin's stepfather.

"Now it's hard to watch the other kids play because everyday I wonder where justin is. And i know the other ones are still safe, but we don't know where he is still," said mom Erika Wilson. "Tomorrow's going to be a really hard day. He'll be 19 tomorrow. And it'll be hard without him home and not knowing where he is still after 5 months."

Surveillance video inside Wild Bills shows Justin meeting friends and then leaving the night he disappeared. The video was the last real piece of evidence to emerge in the case.
And, in February, Gwinnett investigators said there was evidence of foul play. But now, the investigation into Justin's disapperance runs cold.

"They follow leads but from the email that they had sent me Friday, it seems that they are running at the end of it. And they'll have to pull resources off because it's scary because we don't have answers after 5 months as to where justin is," said Erika.

The family is still offering a $25,000 reward for information that will lead them to Justin.

[Denise]

Snellville mother vows to find missing son

Six months ago Justin Gaines went missing from a Duluth nightclub, his mother will not stop until she finds him

By ANDRIA SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 05/01/08

Erika Wilson's job pays nothing, causes unbearable stress and so far has produced no results.

But Wilson is determined to pursue what became her life's work exactly six months ago —helping authorities find her missing son, Justin Gaines.

"I never wanted this new life," Wilson said. "I didn't ask for it, but it's my job now."

Working from a garage converted into a home office, she has focused on making buttons and bumper stickers, raising funds for a reward, handing out flyers, setting up a telephone tip line and maintaining a Web site —anything to make sure the public doesn't forget her missing son.

No one has seen or heard from Gaines since he disappeared from Wild Bill's nightclub off Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth during the early morning hours of Nov. 2. Weeks of scouring the area with volunteer search parties turned up no clues.

"Not a shoe, not a shirt, nothing of his belongings," Wilson said.

Friends dropped off Gaines at the club on Nov. 1. At the time Gaines was 18 and a freshman at the Oconee campus of Gainesville College in Athens. He was home visiting his family in Snellville for the weekend.

Gaines reportedly made several calls later that evening to friends asking for a ride home. None of them were able to pick him up.

Wilson's prevailing theory is that Gaines got "the wrong ride" by someone who hurt him that night. But she also clings to a hope that he could be alive somewhere.

While the case remains unsolved, Wilson said she has no desire to return to her job in real estate.

Erica and her husband Steve Wilson have also hired private investigator Bob Poulnot of Lawrenceville to probe the case.

"I know it's been a long time," Poulnot said Thursday, "but we're still working on leads and we don't intend to give up."

Gwinnett police spokesman Officer David Schiralli said investigators have no more leads to follow.

"Every possible avenue that we could follow up, we followed through on," Schiralli said. "Now we're just waiting for anybody else to come forward with new information."

Schiralli said investigators have placed a wide range of items connected to the case into evidence, 75 of which were delivered to the GBI lab for analysis. He declined to talk about specific pieces of evidence. Schiralli said the GBI will soon meet with Gwinnett investigators to review the case "from an outsider's point of view."

Some of the six other children in the Wilsons' blended family —their ages range from 13 to 21— have celebrated birthdays in their brother's absence. When Gaines' 19th birthday passed on March 31, Wilson developed such a migraine headache that she couldn't move from her bed.

Steve Wilson, Gaines' stepfather, decided that day to have a likeness of Gaines tattooed above his heart. Wilson said her husband wanted to see his son's face every day in the mirror when he dresses.

On Friday, family and friends will gather for a cookout and candlelight vigil in remembrance of Gaines at Bethesda Park at 225 Bethesda Church Road in Snellville.

The Wilsons are offering a $25,000 reward to anyone with information leading to Gaines' whereabouts. Anyone with information can call 1-877-270-9500 or visit www.justingaines.com.

Until they get the tip they've been waiting for, Wilson's work continues.

"Every day I cry, pray and hope for answers," Wilson said. "I can't imagine doing this another six months. I want to quit this job."

Source:
http://www.ajc.com/s.../...=7&cxcat=13

[Lori Davis]

http://www.chronicle...ing-six-months/

Wait goes on for man missing six months
Friday May 02, 2008
Jason Hawk | The Chronicle-Telegram

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — It’s been six months today since 19-year-old Justin Gaines vanished without a trace from a Georgia bar, and investigators said they’ve exhausted every lead.

“We’ve pretty much done everything possible from this point. Now we’re just waiting for someone to come forward,” Gwinnett County sheriff’s Officer David Schiralli said.

Since Nov. 17, agencies have joined in 18 searches for the North Ridgeville native and 29 detectives have spent 2,100 man-hours conducting 140 interviews and processing 270 pieces of evidence.

But all those numbers have added up to nothing, Schiralli said.

Richard Gaines, who lives in North Ridgeville, said he is not giving up hope that his son will be found safe. Still, he lives every day fearing that the next time his phone rings it will bring the worst possible news.

“My heart drops out every time it rings,” he said. “I pick it up and most times my hand starts shaking. Sometimes I don’t want to find out who’s on the other end.”

Justin’s family is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his safe return. They will also pay $25,000 for a tip that leads to the recovery of his body.

Justin was last seen early Nov. 2 at a bar called Wild Bill’s in Duluth, Ga., investigators said. He had been visiting his mother on a weekend break from Gainesville State College, where he was a freshman.

According to his father, Justin called a friend about 2 a.m. to try to get a ride. The friend said he couldn’t help and Justin vanished about a half-hour later.

His mother, Erika Wilson, grew worried and started calling hospitals the following day.

Schiralli said many of the people interviewed in the last few months were at Wild Bill’s with Justin. Richard Gaines said the club typically has about 3,500 customers on a Thursday night.

“I’ve been in that bar. I’ve stood where he stood. I know what kind of crowd can gather. It’s huge. There’s no way somebody wouldn’t have seen what happened to Justin,” his father said.

Searches covering a 30-mile radius around the bar turned up nothing, Schiralli said.

Meanwhile, Justin’s family has hired a private investigator to continue looking for leads around Wild Bill’s and talk to patrons.

“He had everything going for him,” Richard Gaines said. “He had good grades, a part-time job on the weekend to pay for his apartment, support from his brother and sister in Georgia. He had no reason to run.”

He said his worst nightmare is that Justin did find someone to give him a ride, but it was the wrong kind of person. Richard Gaines said investigators believe his son was the victim of foul play, but Schiralli refused to say whether that is his department’s stance.

Justin attended school in North Ridgeville until second grade when he moved to Georgia. Many members of his family still live here and organized fundraisers in February and March to help the search.

Another benefit is scheduled for May 17 at Rebman’s Bowling Alley in Lorain.

Tickets are $16 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Registration will be noon to 12:45 p.m. and bowling will start at 1 p.m. For information, call (440) 506-0410 or e-mail searchforjustin@live.com.

Contact Jason Hawk at 329-7148 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.

[Denise]

http://www.onlineath...080514079.shtml

Still 'nothing' on student's fate
18-year-old not seen since nov. 2

Justin Gaines, who attended Gainesville State College's Watkinsville campus, disappeared after he was dropped off at a club in Duluth.

By Lee Shearer  |  lee.shearer@onlineathens.com  |  Story updated at 11:38 PM on Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Six months after Justin Gaines disappeared from a Duluth nightclub, his family and police know little more about what happened to the Gainesville State College student than they did in November.

Gaines, who lived in Athens and attended Gainesville State's Watkinsville campus, has not been seen since Nov. 2.

His family has raised a reward fund of nearly $25,000 for information leading to the recovery of his remains or to the conviction of the person responsible for his disappearance - much of the money raised with fundraisers like a bowl-a-thon planned for this Saturday in the Ohio town where many of Gaines' relatives still live.

The last glimpse the Gaines family had of him was from a video security camera at a popular Duluth club named Wild Bill's. The camera caught Gaines laughing and talking with friends about 2 a.m. Nov. 2.

Friends had dropped the 18-year-old off earlier that night at Wild Bill's where a crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 people typically gathers on Thursday nights, his mother said.

The club is across Pleasant Hill Road from Gwinnett Place Mall near Interstate 85.

When the Brookwood High School graduate was ready to go home, he called several friends for a ride but had no luck. The telephone calls were the last contacts Gaines had with anyone who knew him, as far as friends and family know.

"It's just frustrating. It's just been such a long time, and I don't have any answers," said Justin's mother, Erika Wilson.

Since that November day, Gwinnett County investigators have put more than 2,000 man-hours into trying to track down what happened, followed leads to 14 counties and conducted 18 land, water and air searches in six counties, according to Officer David Schiralli, a public information officer for the Gwinnett County Police Department.

Police have told Wilson they suspect foul play, but neither police, a private investigator Gaines' family hired nor volunteer horse trackers with Texas EquuSearch have been able to trace Gaines beyond the Wild Bill's Saloon parking lot, Wilson said.

"Nothing," she said.

No transactions appeared on his bank account and no activity on his cell phone, which his family still pays - "no nothing," she said.

"He's just a responsible kid. He would be in contact with us," Wilson said of her son, who was in his first semester at Gainesville State College's Oconee County campus. He planned to transfer to the University of Georgia.

"Right now, we are looking for anyone to come forward with any new information to move forward," Schiralli said.

Gaines, a husky 5-foot-10 and 230 pounds, was wearing ripped jeans and a gray Abercrombie shirt when last seen, according to a flyer his family has distributed widely. His hair was in a buzz cut. His 19th birthday was March 19.

The family has raised reward money both in Georgia and in northern Ohio, where Justin's mother and father grew up and where his father still lives.

"We will never let anybody forget this kid, no matter how long it is," said Kelli McGill, an aunt who helped organize a fundraiser for this Saturday - a bowl-a-thon at Rebman Recreation in Lorain, Ohio.

Lorain is west of Cleveland near North Ridgeville, Ohio, where Justin spent the first year of his life and where many of his relatives live.

Police and Gaines' family asked anyone with information about his disappearance call Detective T.R. Tobler of the Gwinnett County Police Department at (770) 513-5300 or the Texas EquuSearch toll-free number (877) 270-9500.

Wilson wonders if people have paid less attention to Justin's disappearance because he is male.

"People don't think males are in danger. They think 'They're healthy males, and why did they take off?' " Wilson said.

But bad things can happen to men as well as women, said Wilson.

"I've got an idea he got a ride from the wrong person," she said.

[Denise]

http://www.justingaines.com/

Latest Event

CBS Thurs May 29th 10pm
Without a Trace
Justin Gaines

[Kelly]

Justin has been placed on Project Jason's 18 Wheel Angels campaign. A special poster has been made for him and can be downloaded and printed for placement. More information about the program, and the link for the poster can be found here:

http://projectjason.org/18wheel.shtml

In addition to the campaign, Justin is also featured in a national trucking publication, Through the Gears. This free magazine is distributed in truck stops nationwide and has a circulation of about 150,000.

Through the Gears and Independent Contractor are two of Target Media Partner's many publications. In partnership with Project Jason, they each feature two missing persons each per month. You can pick up your free copies at a local truck stop, but if it's far from you, you may want to call and ask if they carry that magazine. These are NOT with the regular for purchase magazines.

We hope this helps in the search for Justin. Please consider printing and placing a poster in businesses in your community.



Thank you.

Kelly, Project Jason

[Kelly]

A special story written by Justin's mother for the 18 Wheel Angels Campaign:

Justin Gaines

By Erika Wilson, Justin's Mom

It was another normal weekend coming up.  Justin came home from college on Thursday May 1st  after class for the weekend.  He called me on his way here to let me know what time he would be getting in and that he was planning on going out on Thursday and Friday with friends.  Then on Saturday he would be helping his Step-dad work to make some extra money. 

He arrived home and told of us how his week at school was and that he had met with the college counselor to pick classes for next semester.  Later that evening he went out with friends to Wild Bill's in Duluth Georgia.  The friends he rode with decided not to go in but Justin did.  He was seen there by other people who know him.  He called for several rides but to our knowledge no one came to pick him up.  We are not sure how he left Wild Bill's that night.  He was last seen at Wild Bill's around 2am on Friday May 2nd.  That is when my nightmare began.

We reported him missing and started hanging fliers and searching everywhere for him.  We did not have the local police helping us search and it was very hard not knowing what to do.  We were blessed to have groups come out to help us search for Justin and bring us resources for air, and land searches.  With all the searches we have found no sign of my son.  I can no longer sleep all I can do is think of finding Justin.

His car was left at our house along with him laptop, book bag, bank card and keys to his apartment at college. Still six months later have not found any sign of him.  Police have now said they suspect foul play now but I still remain hopeful.  I think it is very stressful with having a missing male.  I feel you have to convince the police that your loved one is really missing and did not just take off.

Justin is 19, 5'11 and 230 pounds of muscle.  He has gorgeous blue eyes and brown hair he keeps shaved. He was last seen wearing a Gray shirt with Ambercombie in blue on the front of it. He had on jeans that had rips in them and wearing white sneakers with some orange on them. He was attending Gainesville State College in Georgia where he was a freshman.  We are begging people to call in with any information that might help lead us to Justin.  We have been able to raise enough money for a 25K reward for information to his whereabouts.  We feel strongly that someone can give us the answers to find Justin.  We just need them to call.

We try to keep his face and story out in the public so everyone is aware that our son Justin is still missing and we still have no answers.  Everyday is so hard for me.  My heart breaks everyday without Justin here.  I am not sure how to be whole again with out him here. In this situation you are no longer the person you were before your loved one went missing. It is a new life I live, one I never wanted but will attempt to live so we can find the answers. We also have 6 other children and his siblings are also hurting and also now fear that one day they could just disappear also.  Justin is a very fun loving person and would help anyone.  He can make you smile when you are down and out.  I need him back home because without him I am not sure how to smile anymore.

Please show others his picture and let others know he is missing.  I pray that everyday you are safe on your travels across the country and thanks for helping us  inform people on your travels of the missing.  We are grateful for your help for we could not reach as many people as you can.  You can  visit his website at www.justingaines.com

Tip Line 1-877-270-9500
Thank you!
With Hope,
Erika Wilson

[Denise]

http://www.11alive.c...=119146&catid=3

Gaines' Mother Launches Justin Time Foundation

Updated 7/28/2008 7:05:42 PM
Posted By: Jaye Watson

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -- The mother of missing teen Justin Gaines is starting a foundation to help support families of missing teenagers.

Erika Wilson sits at an outdoor table of a local restaurant. She looks as put together as anyone else until she tells you how her husband has to call her sometimes and tell her to get out of bed, how she can't drive alone in the car because she'll cry the entire time, how her first and last thoughts of the day are about her son Justin.

"It's how long I carried him," Wilson said.

It is almost nine months to the day since Justin Gaines was last seen at a local bar. Almost nine months without any solid leads into his disappearance.

"We have no closure. I don't know if I should be grieving because he's gone. I don't know where my son is," she said.

Because Gaines was 18 at the time of his disappearance his case was not immediately treated as foul play. Wilson is launching the Justin Time Foundation to help families of missing teenagers with everything from organizing search parties to long-term support.

Wilson was distressed when she learned a DeKalb County girl had faked her and her little sister's disappearance.

"If that girl did go missing again, they might not search for her and she could be in real danger this time," said Wilson.

Wilson also said the search for two girls who were never missing took away from other cases, other people searching for answers.

"There's a lot of people with missing children who live not knowing, not knowing. Thank God their parents knew in a day that they were safe," she said.

[Denise]

http://www.accessnor...p?n=212400&c=10

Posted: Friday, August 15th 2008

Missing GSC student's family hosts event to help families of missing teens

By Scott Kimbler Staff

LAWRENCEVILLE - The family of a missing Gainesville State College student held a fundraising event last Thursday night to help families of other missing teens.

Erika and Steven Wilson founded The Justin Time Foundation for Missing Teens and Young Adults to honor their 18-year-old son, Justin Gaines, who disappeared from Duluth on Nov. 2, 2007. The foundation was also created to help others families maximize the first 14 days of an investigation into their missing loved ones.

On the night Gaines went missing, he met friends at a local night spot and was last heard from via cell phone while attempting to find a ride home. While family, friends and a private investigator still search for Gaines(Gwinnett County Police have rendered the case inactive), they believe that he was robbed, and subsequently left at the spot in which the crime took place.

At the time of his disappearance, Gaines was a student at the GSC Oconee County campus.

The mission of the foundation is to provide valuable resources, support teams, and financial aid to families of missing teens and young adults in the initial stages of their search.

Thursday's inaugural Gardens Alive! Summer Soiree & Silent Auction was held in Lawrenceville, and featured live music, door prizes and a raffle.

[Denise]

http://www.chronicle...nd-his-son_122/

Dad needs help to find his son

Alison Dietz

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — A local family is holding a fundraiser bowl-a-thon on Sept. 21 to help keep open an investigation of a loved one’s disappearance.

Richard Gaines’s son, Justin, went missing on Nov. 2, 2007.  He was last seen leaving a bar in Georgia, where lived with his mother and stepfather.

Justin Gaines was attending Gainesville State University at the time of his disappearance.  He was maintaining good grades and also holding down a part-time job, his father said.

“He had no reason to go nowhere,” Richard Gaines said.

The police department in charge of the investigation has mostly given up on the case, Gaines said.

“They said they felt they’d done their part,” he said.  “It’s a cold case in their books.”

Gaines’s ex-wife, Erika Wilson, found a private investigator willing to probe further into their son’s disappearance.

“I’m told leads are coming in all the time,” Gaines said.  “No one can tell me in 10 months nothing’s come to a head.”

Several fundraisers have been held to help pay for the investigator, who is providing his work in exchange for whatever the family can pay him, Gaines said.

He estimates that the previous events brought in between $15,000 and $20,000.

Gaines is hoping for a good turnout at the bowl-a-thon, not just for his son but for others in the same situation.

“A lot of college students, especially men, who come up missing are not reported,” he said. “They think that since it’s a male, he just took off.”

The fundraiser will be at the Brunswick Zone bowling alley in North Ridgeville. It will also include raffles and a 50/50 drawing for bowlers and non-bowlers alike.

Registration for the bowl-a-thon starts at 9 a.m. the day of, and bowling runs from 10 a.m. until noon.  For $15 (or $10 for kids 12 and younger), participants get unlimited bowling and shoe rental.

[Denise]

http://blog.clevelan...safe_retur.html

Benefit for Justin's safe return

Posted by Stephanie Furst September 25, 2008 18:55PM
Categories: Breaking News

"For the Love of Justin" benefit buffet dinner will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 25 at Bullfrogs Sports Cafe, 33137 Center Ridge Road in North Ridgeville.

The event marks the one-year anniversary of Justin Gaines disappearance on 11/02/07, and the hope for his safe return.

Tickets will be $20 each or two for $35. Children under 12-years-old will eat for $12.

The supper will include cold-cut sandwiches, baked rigatoni, wings, cheese sticks, chicken tenders, a nacho bar and other items. A raffle with a variety of prizes will be available.

The deadline for ticket sales is Oct. 17. Families are invited to come early since the 21-years-old and over rule will apply after 9 p.m.

Patty and Rich Gaines, Justin's parents, are hosting the event to raise funds for a private investigator working on their son's case. The Gaines family would like to know the answers to their son's whereabouts.

The family would appreciate the community spreading the word and joining the their family for supper.

Flyers went out to North Ridgeville residents, however the Gaines family would appreciate support from surrounding communities too.

For more information on the event, call (440) 327-7589 or email at pattysue32@yahoo.com.

For more information on learning about Justin's disappearance and how to help, visit justingaines.com.

[Denise]

http://blog.clevelan...nd_answers.html

Help his parents find answers

Posted by Sun News September 26, 2008 17:28PM

"For the Love of Justin" benefit buffet dinner will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 25 at Bullfrogs Sports Cafe, 33137 Center Ridge Road in North Ridgeville.

The event marks the one-year anniversary of Justin Gaines disappearance on 11/02/07, and the hope for his safe return.

Tickets will be $20 each or two for $35. Children under 12-years-old will eat for $12.

The supper will include cold-cut sandwiches, baked rigatoni, wings, cheese sticks, chicken tenders, a nacho bar and other items. A raffle with a variety of prizes will be available.

The deadline for ticket sales is Oct. 17. Families are invited to come early since the 21-years-old and over rule will apply after 9 p.m.

Patty and Rich Gaines, Justin's parents, are hosting the event to raise funds for a private investigator working on their son's case. The Gaines family would like to know the answers to their son's whereabouts.

The family would appreciate the community spreading the word and joining the their family for supper.

Flyers went out to North Ridgeville residents, however the Gaines family would appreciate support from surrounding communities too.

For more information on the event, call (440) 327-7589 or email at pattysue32@yahoo.com.

For more information on learning about Justin's disappearance and how to help, visit justingaines.com.