Account
Dec 12, 2008
Oct 07, 2022
James
Wiggins
42
21
62 inches
165 lbs
White / Caucasian
Male
In the days leading up to Christmas in 2002, a young man named James Thomas Wiggins vanished from his life in Ruston, Louisiana, leaving behind a mystery that has endured for decades. On December 21, the 21-year-old left the home he shared with his mother and her boyfriend on Vaughn Avenue, stating he was walking to a nearby grocery store for cigarettes. He was dressed for the weather, wearing jeans, a red flannel jacket, a baseball cap, and athletic shoes, and he carried an umbrella. His family did not immediately worry, but when days passed with no word from James, his sister reported him missing to the Ruston Police Department. At the time of his disappearance, James worked as a dishwasher at a local Italian restaurant called Anthony's. The investigation into James's disappearance began with a promising but ultimately unconfirmed sighting. The morning after he was last seen, the owner of the Goose Creek Grocery on White Lightning Road, several miles outside of Ruston, discovered a young man asleep on the store's doorstep. When the store opened, the man came inside and purchased cigarettes, using James Wiggins's identification. The store owner was reportedly certain it was him. Another possible sighting occurred several weeks later when a woman claimed she had spoken with James in Jonesboro, a town about 20 miles from Ruston. Despite these early leads, no confirmed trace of James has ever been found. The initial investigation was hampered by a lack of physical evidence or witnesses to his actual disappearance. Family members described James as a quiet individual who found it difficult to make friends and mostly kept to himself. In the time before he went missing, his mother had grown concerned about his mental health due to some erratic behavior. These concerns led her to have him committed for a psychiatric evaluation, an action that reportedly angered James. Over the years, the case has been subject to bizarre and conflicting tips, some suggesting he may be alive, while others point towards foul play. One perplexing lead involved a call from a Florida mental hospital, though it yielded no concrete information. The disappearance of James Thomas Wiggins remains an unsolved case, a quiet departure from a grocery run that became a lasting enigma. With no definitive evidence of his fate, authorities and his loved ones are left with unanswered questions and the lingering hope that one day, the truth about what happened to the young man with curly brown hair and blue eyes will come to light.
Dec 21, 2002
Ruston
Louisiana
Winn Parish
6619
Ruston Police Department
Ruston
Louisiana
Lincoln Parish
71270
Gerald Jenkins
Lt.
501 North Trenton Street, Louisiana
3182554141
Local
Law Enforcement
021200211
Ruston Police Department
5333
Brown
Blue
Blue
No
05/24/2026
