Account
Dec 22, 2009
Oct 06, 2022
James
Smith
55
22
68 inches
160 lbs
White / Caucasian
Male
In the late summer of 1991, a young man named James Cary Smith vanished from his home in Harvey, Louisiana, leaving behind a mystery that has endured for decades. On the morning of September 6, 1991, the 22-year-old was last seen at his residence on Friendship Drive. He was dressed in a simple white t-shirt and blue jeans, ready for a day in the city. James, who was 5'8" tall and weighed around 160 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes, had plans that day which should have been routine and unremarkable. His intention was to walk to a bus stop just two blocks from his home and take a bus to New Orleans. The hours turned into days, and the days into an agonizing stretch of years, yet James Cary Smith never reached his destination. He was never seen or heard from again after leaving his house that Friday morning. The journey to the University of New Orleans, a trip that should have been just another part of a young man's life, became the starting point of an enduring mystery. The simplicity of his last known actions—leaving home for a bus trip—offers few clues to the bewildering circumstances of his disappearance. The case is marked by a profound lack of information, leaving his loved ones with unanswered questions. The investigation into James's disappearance, handled by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, has remained open over the years. Despite the passage of time, the official classification of his case is simply "Missing." Details surrounding what might have happened to him are scarce, and the narrative of his last known day ends abruptly after he walked out his front door. The case is a somber reminder of how a person can vanish without a trace, leaving a void in the lives of those they left behind. The overview of the case is one of a young man at the cusp of his life, whose ordinary day took an inexplicable turn, resulting in a cold case that continues to await a resolution.
Sep 06, 1991
Harvey
Louisiana
Jefferson Parish
7971
Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office
Harvey
Louisiana
Jefferson Parish
70058
Derek Johnson
Detective
1233 Westbank Expressway, Louisiana
5043635500
County
Law Enforcement
I-8396-91
Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office
7715
Brown
Hazel
Hazel
05/08/2026
