James McGlothin Missing Person Case

Oct 08, 2017

Jan 05, 2024

James

McGlothin

87

52

69 inches

72 inches

185 lbs

195 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

On October 30, 1989, 52-year-old James Lynn McGlothin, an electrician known to some as Jimmy, disappeared under troubling circumstances. A resident of Coalfield in Morgan County, Tennessee, he was last seen driving near Lenoir City on Highway 321. At the time of his disappearance, McGlothin was a man with black hair tinged with gray and blue eyes. He was believed to be on his way to a bank in Oliver Springs, a detail that adds a layer of concern to his case, as it was reported he was carrying a significant amount of cash, approximately $18,000, intended to pay off a loan. The details following his last sighting are sparse and have left his family with unanswered questions for decades. The vehicle he was driving, a distinctive 1986 black and gray Chevrolet Blazer with Tennessee license plate HCG-447, became a key piece of evidence. Roughly two weeks after he was last seen, the Blazer was found abandoned. It was located in the parking lot of a Days Inn hotel in Athens, Tennessee, near exit 49 in McMinn County, a considerable distance from where he was last seen, adding another layer of mystery to the timeline of his disappearance. The discovery of his vehicle without any sign of McGlothin deepened the concern for his welfare. The investigation into James McGlothin's disappearance was handled by the Morgan County Sheriff's Office, although his last known whereabouts were in Loudon County. Over the years, his case has become one of Tennessee's long-standing cold cases. The circumstances surrounding his last known day—being an electrician on his way to a bank with a large sum of money, his subsequent vanishing, and the discovery of his abandoned vehicle in another county—paint a concerning picture. Despite the passage of time, the case of James Lynn McGlothin remains unresolved, a lingering story of a man who was last seen on a Tennessee highway and never made it to his destination.

Oct 30, 1989

Coalfield

Tennessee

Morgan County

37719

No

34907

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Nashville

Tennessee

Davidson County

37216

901 R.S. Gass Boulevard, Tennessee

8008243463

State

Law Enforcement

40189

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Black

Blue

Blue

No

06/27/2026