In the quiet community of Ridgeville, South Carolina, a family's life was turned upside down on January 26, 2020. On that Sunday morning, around 6:30 am, 55-year-old Michael 'Mike' Montijo was seen for the last time at his home near Camp Buddy Road. His wife, April, left for work around 8:00 am and recalled him being in the bedroom. When she returned that evening, he was gone.
Troublingly, all of his personal belongings—his car, cell phone, wallet, and keys—were left behind at the residence. The following day, with no sign of her husband, she reported him missing to the Colleton County Sheriff's Office. His family describes his disappearance as completely out of character, insisting he would not have just walked away from his life and left everything behind.
Michael, a 20-year Navy veteran who served as a chief petty officer on a submarine, was known to be a private person. At the time he went missing, he stood 5'5' tall, weighed 165 pounds, and had salt-and-pepper hair with a goatee. He has several distinctive tattoos, including the letters 'MM' on his left hand and a panther on his left forearm. He may have been wearing a camouflage military-style jacket and blue jeans. His wife noted that nothing seemed unusual on the morning he vanished. However, she also shared that he was an alcoholic who had recently attempted to quit drinking and seemed to be suffering from hallucinations as a result of withdrawal. This has led to speculation that he may have been in a delirious state when he left his home. The investigation into his disappearance has been fraught with questions and concerns from his loved ones.
An unconfirmed sighting placed a man believed to be Michael at a nearby convenience store on the night of January 27th or in the early morning hours of the 28th. The witness claimed he bought tobacco and other items before getting into a gold Buick with another person. Authorities located the owner of the vehicle, but they denied knowing Michael, leaving this lead at a dead end. There has been no activity on his bank accounts or credit reports since he was last seen. Michael's family has expressed frustration with the official investigation, feeling that more could have been done in the crucial early stages of the search. They have pointed to what they perceive as a lack of resources and urgency from law enforcement. Friends and family members have also questioned the circumstances within the home, mentioning the discovery of bullet holes in the walls of his man cave, which they feel contradicts the narrative that he simply wandered off. The case of Michael Montijo remains an unsettling mystery, leaving his family to grapple with unanswered questions and the enduring pain of not knowing what happened to him. The official investigation continues, but with few solid leads, the path to finding answers is unclear.Last Seen: Jan 26, 2020
