In the late summer of 1989, the quiet community of Kenansville, North Carolina, was unsettled by the perplexing disappearance of 64-year-old Ellis Faison Sr.. A World War II Navy veteran and a longtime carpenter for the county school system, Faison was a familiar figure in his neighborhood.. However, in the time leading up to his disappearance, his behavior had become increasingly erratic..
His family reported that he had been holding conversations with deceased relatives, a change they and authorities believed might have been influenced by a combination of alcohol and prescription medication.. On the evening of August 9, 1989, Faison's distress escalated.. He twice contacted the police, convinced that teenagers were inside his parked car.. On both occasions, officers found no evidence to support his fears.. Later that same night, between 11:30 p.m. and midnight, Ellis Faison Sr. walked out of his front door, leaving his shoes behind, and vanished into the night..
The initial search for Faison yielded few clues. His hat was discovered in a neighbor's yard, and a coffee mug filled with whiskey was found in his carport.. The detail of him leaving without his shoes was particularly troubling to his family, who said he had a deep-seated fear of snakes and would never willingly go barefoot, not even inside his own home.. A neighbor reported seeing Faison running through her yard, yelling and appearing very frightened.. Moments later, she saw another man walking in the same direction.. She described this unidentified individual as tall and stocky, with light skin, slicked-back hair, and a limp, wearing dark overalls.. This sighting added a disturbing layer to the investigation, as the man was never identified, and his connection, if any, to Faison's disappearance remains unknown..
As years turned into decades, the case of Ellis Faison Sr. grew cold, leaving his family with a void of unanswered questions.. Authorities initially considered the possibility that he had wandered off in his confused state or perhaps left to avoid a detoxification program his wife was considering for him.. However, as time passed with no sign of him, these theories seemed less plausible.. One of his sons came to believe that his father was murdered on the night he went missing.. His wife sadly passed away in 1994 without ever knowing what happened to her husband.. The disappearance of Ellis Faison Sr. is a haunting case, marked by the strange circumstances of his last known hours and the enduring pain of a family left without closure. The Kenansville Police Department continues to hold the case open, a silent testament to a man who, in a state of fear and confusion, stepped out into the night and was never seen again..Last Seen: Aug 9, 1989
