In the close-knit community of Louisburg, North Carolina, concern mounted for 35-year-old Anthony 'AJ' Joseph Coley Jr., who was last seen on February 22, 2023. A familiar and friendly face in the Alert community, an unincorporated area in northern Franklin County, AJ frequently walked the roads between the homes of his various family members, all of whom lived within a couple of miles of each other.
His disappearance was particularly worrying because he has cognitive impairments and did not have his prescribed medication with him, which could lead to adverse reactions. When he was last seen by family, he was on foot on Person Road, south of Roy Tharrington Road. He was wearing a bluish-gray t-shirt, gray pants, and white sneakers with red trim. Over his t-shirt, he wore a high-visibility green coat with reflective stripes.
AJ is a white male with brown hair and blue eyes, standing between 5'11' and 6'0' tall and weighing between 180 and 200 pounds. He has several distinguishing features, including quarter-sized gauge holes in his ears and surgical scars on the back of his right knee and on his right hip. He normally wears glasses but did not have them with him at the time of his disappearance. His family and the Franklin County Sheriff's Office grew increasingly concerned as time passed with no word from him. The community rallied together, organizing a search effort that was set to meet at the Mission Grove Baptist Church. Multiple search and rescue teams, along with K9 units, were involved in the active search for AJ.
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office has been leading the investigation into AJ's disappearance. They have urged the public to come forward with any information regarding his whereabouts, emphasizing that no detail is too small. Flyers with his picture and description were circulated, and news outlets covered the story, hoping to jog someone's memory. The case has left his family and the community in a state of anxious uncertainty. The overview of the case is that Anthony 'AJ' Coley Jr., a man with cognitive impairments, vanished while on one of his routine walks between family members' houses in a rural North Carolina community, prompting an extensive search and an ongoing investigation by local law enforcement.Last Seen: Feb 22, 2023
