In the autumn of 1988, in Pitt County, North Carolina, the life of 50-year-old Ruben Primrose Wiggins took a dark and mysterious turn. On the morning of November 20th, Wiggins received a telephone call that appeared to deeply disturb him. According to his family, he became fearful after the call but refused to reveal the caller's identity. Shortly thereafter, he left his home with $500 cash and drove away in his light blue 1978 Oldsmobile. He was dressed in tan work pants, a gray shirt, and black boots. That was the last time his family ever saw him.
The weeks following Ruben's disappearance were filled with anguish and uncertainty for his loved ones. Family and authorities conducted searches, hoping for his safe return, but their efforts were met with silence. About a month after he vanished, a significant break in the case occurred when Wiggins' Oldsmobile was discovered abandoned in a wooded area in neighboring Craven County, off Maple Cypress Road. Wiggins, who often earned money by cutting down trees, had three chainsaws in his car's trunk when he went missing; however, upon the vehicle's discovery, one of the chainsaws was gone. There was no sign of Ruben Wiggins at the scene, and the discovery of his car only deepened the concerns of foul play.
For years, the case grew cold, leaving a void in the lives of his family. Investigators have long suspected foul play was involved in Ruben's disappearance, given the unsettling circumstances of his last known day. According to his brother, Wiggins lived a quiet life, having never married or had children, and had a long career with the Georgia-Pacific Railroad. His brother also shared a belief that Ruben was murdered by people he knew and trusted. The investigation was further complicated when a person considered a suspect in the disappearance died in a car accident shortly after Wiggins went missing. With little evidence to proceed, the mystery remained. In 2007, nearly two decades after he was last seen, Ruben Primrose Wiggins was legally declared deceased. The overview of the case is one of sudden, unexplained fear, a man vanishing after a mysterious phone call, and the discovery of his abandoned vehicle, which offered more questions than answers, leaving behind an unsolved case and a family's enduring quest for the truth.
Last Seen: Nov 20, 1988
