Vigil Set For Missing Hall County Man 4-8-06

This Saturday, my group will be hosting a vigil for Waymon "Gene" Stewart who disappeared from his residence on Feb. 4, 2004. I remembered Stewart's flier in the police department over a year ago but that was about it. I became more familiar with his case, when a newspaper in Northeast GA contacted me to tell me Gene's daughter was trying to find me since the large article ran in the paper about my work with the missing. As it turns out, we went to the same school for a little while about a hundred years ago. Our friendship formed immediately.

Gene Stewart's case has not been highly publicized like some cases. He had an outstanding warrant for arrest at the time of his disappearance, and struggled with alcohol abuse. He had just used every last cent of his income tax return to furnish his new trailer that sat on property where a Meth lab had been just busted a few days earlier. All his personal items, including his false teeth were still in the apartment when he vanished. Gene Stewart also had no driver's license nor car. His house sat on a desolate country road where nobody would notice a crime being committed.

His daughter fears that he may have been a victim of something more sinister. Shortly after the disappearance, Gene's residence was not processed by the police department, leaving vital information to later be destroyed by an unknown visitor who randsacked the home within days. The family believes that there is someone nearby who knows what happened to Gene Stewart and can help solve this two year old mystery. They are also upset that the police have dismissed his case as unimportant.

We are having a vigil to remember him on his birthday that will be approaching on the 10th of April. It is our hope that our vigil and the news coverage from the news stations will rekindle interest in the mystery and prompt someone to come forward.

At this time there is no reward in place for Gene. The police department told the Sund Carrington Foundation that they did not feel like a reward would help this case. They also told Gene's daughter that at some point she needs to give up and get on with her life. Do you find these statements outrageous? I do.

Part of the reason my family has taken a stand for missing and murdered people is to bring awareness to the community that all missing people are important, regardless of social status or race. We think that any family should be given the same opportunity to find answers and support as others. Saturday night, we will show everyone watching in our viewing area just how serious we are about finding this man. Somewhere there are answers and we will find them. Think about what you'd do if your dad vanished without a trace.

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Find Gene Stewart