HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — It’s been nearly nine months since Huntsville realtor and father Ronald Dumas Jr. was last seen.
Police say Dumas Jr. was abducted on December 15 in Huntsville, and his car was found abandoned on the side of I-40 in Tennessee on December 16.
While time has passed, his family and friends are not giving up hope of bringing him home. They’re hoping new billboards can get not only his face out there, but the faces of the five people suspected in his abduction.
Wednesday evening, News 19 spoke to several of the people closest to Dumas.
“I think it’s absolutely great that we are helping spread the message so that more people will see it, meaning we have a better chance of getting more info,” His son, Kai, said
“Somebody’s going to speak up, somebody has to,” Kai’s mom, Shakeria Samples said.
The Huntsville Police Department is working with other agencies to investigate Dumas’ abduction. One of the places their investigation led is Memphis, Tennessee.
That’s now one of the locations that the family is targeting with the new billboards.
“We really need to spread awareness of his case around Memphis,” said spokesperson Troy Styles with Blunt Force Media.
Styles said he hopes someone will have information on the suspects that can help police.
“These individuals, I believe, are well known in the Memphis area and northern Mississippi,” Styles said. “I’m quite certain that once people see the reward at $7500, which may increase soon, we think tips will start coming our way.”
Two of the five people suspected in Dumas Jr.’s abduction, Quintarius White and Kierra Clark, were arrested in Memphis in April. Last week, a Madison County Judge denied bond for Clark. According to court documents, White is set to have a court appearance in Memphis on Thursday.
Police are still searching for Toure McLaurin, Sabrina Chambers, and Carissa Cash.
Huntsville Police previously told News 19 that one of the last places Dumas was seen on December 15 was a liquor store on University Drive.
News 19 has now learned that Dumas had loose plans to meet up with his friend Chris Godsey at the Dave and Buster’s, right across the street. Godsey said his friend Ronnie never showed.
“I am the guy that he was on his way to, and it’s tough dealing with that because I wish I would have been with him that night,” Godsey told News 19. “Maybe we would’ve made a better decision or gotten ourself away from the situation, but we can’t talk about that now, all we can do is think about finding him and do what we can to find him.”
Dumas’s close friend, Byron Pillow, did see him earlier that night. He told News 19 that he wishes their last conversation could’ve been longer.
“We didn’t get to have a deeper conversation, I didn’t get to tell you ‘I love you bro’, I didn’t get to give him a hug, I didn’t get to give him a joke,” Pillow said. “We joke about each other, you know, he calls me a giant, I call him mini me and stuff like that, I didn’t get to give him a joke or nothing.”
Dumas Jr’s family and friends say they are hopeful that the billboards bring in new information in the case.
“I’m happy that we have two suspects in custody, but I won’t rest and I won’t be at peace until we know exactly what happened that night and until we have Ronnie home,” Samples told News 19.
The reward for information in the case is now up to $7,500. You can report tips to Huntsville Police at 256-254-4240.
Troy Styles tells News 19 that the funding for the billboards has come from family and friends, as well as a matching donation from the Missing in America Network.
The post ‘Somebody’s going to speak up’: says mother of missing Huntsville Realtor’s son appeared first on WHNT.
