James Abert “Jimmy” Romines was a 63-year-old man last seen on April 23, 2014, in Centralia, Illinois. He was reportedly last observed by a neighbor around noon at or near his apartment, after which he was not seen or heard from again. Public missing-person records described him as a white male, about 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing roughly 160 to 180 pounds, with white hair and blue eyes. He was also known to wear black-rimmed glasses, and NamUs noted that he did not drive and did not have a car, details that made his sudden disappearance especially concerning because there was no clear indication that he had simply left the area by vehicle.
After Jimmy disappeared, the Centralia Police Department became the investigating agency, and his case was entered into national missing-person systems. The publicly available information about the circumstances remained limited for years, but the core facts were consistent: Jimmy was last seen by a neighbor at about noon on April 23, 2014, in Centralia, and there was no known contact from him afterward. For his family, friends, and community, the absence of answers left a painful gap. A man who had been part of ordinary daily life in Centralia was suddenly gone, and the known circumstances did not provide a clear direction as to whether he became lost, suffered a medical emergency, met with foul play, or encountered some other unknown event.
Years later, investigators received the answer that Jimmy had been located, though not in the way anyone who cared about him would have hoped. Authorities reported that human remains found off Jolliff Bridge Road northwest of Centralia were positively identified as James Romines. According to reporting based on Clinton County Coroner Phillip Moss, the identification was made through DNA evidence and dental records by a forensic anthropologist at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The remains had originally been discovered off Jolliff Bridge Road near Linn Street by a sheriff’s department employee who was looking for antlers. Officials stated that the cause of death would remain undetermined, and that there was no evidence of foul play found in the skeletal remains that were examined.
The recovery and identification of Jimmy’s remains brought an end to the missing-person aspect of the case, but it did not fully explain what happened after he was last seen. Official reports indicate that James Romines was found deceased, and the case is no longer an active missing-person case. His exact date of death remains unknown from the available public information, and the circumstances between the moment he was last seen in Centralia and the later discovery of his remains off Jolliff Bridge Road remain unclear. In overview, the case began with the quiet disappearance of a 63-year-old Centralia man last seen by a neighbor at midday on April 23, 2014, continued for years as an unresolved missing-person investigation, and ended with the identification of previously recovered remains as Jimmy Romines, while leaving his loved ones with only partial answers about the final chapter of his life.
Last Seen: Apr 23, 2014
