Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

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Student Missing After Going To Gwinnett Club

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -- A college student has been reported missing when he did not come home after going out to Wild Bill's in Gwinnett County.

Officials said they have started an investigation into the case of an 18-year-old missing since Thursday night. Gwinnett County authorities said Justin Gaines' mother filed a police report Sunday after he didn't return home.

According to the police report, Gaine's mother, Erika Wilson, said that her son came home Thursday and told her he was going out with friends. He was dropped off at Wild Bill's that night. Later that evening, Gaines called a friend to pick him up but the friend told him he couldn't. Gaines has not been seen or heard from since.

"Very frightening. We have seven kids and this is our worst nightmare," said Wilson.

Wilson said she has contacted her son's friends, local hospitals and jails and has not been able to locate her child.

"The community's been great but we haven't had any leads for his whereabouts, what could have happened, if he left with someone and he hasn't called anyone and that's not like him," said Wilson. Gaines is a student at Gainesville State College and his family said he is responsible and usually calls home.

Friends of Gaines said he had fake IDs in the name of Brad Allen and Brad Shewe. He is 5'11" and 210 lbs with a muscular build. He has blue eyes and brown hair with a short buzz cut. He has both his ears pierced with diamond studs and was last seen wearing a long sleeve gray shirt with "Abercrombie" written on the front.

Officials said they are attempting to track Gaines' cell phone to obtain information. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Gwinnett County Police Department at 770-513-5300.
Article Link (http://www.wsbtv.com/news/14524895/detail.html)

http://www.myspace.com/gaines54

http://www.xanga.com/Gaines54

http://www.geocities.com/gaines54/justin

http://www.buddyprofile.com/viewprofile.php?username=Gaines54

Justin's AOL profile:
Link (http://memberdirectory.aol.com/aolus/profile?urlman=sn%3Dgaines54%26req%3Dvp)

Slideshow with pics:
Link (http://pictures.aol.com/ap/miniViewLarger.do?shareInfo=mFQYMXJcDsWIbEv7cBGlgtG%2fz5TOv9QwozKkH1FrxQm%2fjFCnkV3ciA%3d%3d&cursor=0&mode=pause)

(http://i3.tinypic.com/6op9ir5.jpg) (http://www.wildbillsatlanta.com/wildbillnew/pages/nightly.html)

Family, Friends Search for Missing Ga. College Student  
 
Missing Gwinnett Co. Teen
ATLANTA (FOX 5) -- Thursday marks exactly a week since a Gwinnett County family has seen their 18-year-old son. Justin Gaines disappeared last Thursday from a Gwinnett County nightclub. His family and friends gathered to form a search party. Click on video for more information. SideBar

(http://i7.tinypic.com/6pg2k4i.jpg) (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=4873324&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1)

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6358607097

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6950997243

Search Intensifies for College Student

Family and friends of a missing college student from Gwinnett County met on Saturday morning to conduct their biggest and most organized search yet.

They have been looking for Justin Gaines, 18, a freshman at the Athens campus of Gainesville College, since he disappeared from Wild Bill's nightclub last week.

"Today's an important day," said Erika Wilson, Justin's mother. "I feel good. We're gonna go out there and stay focussed. We need to bring him back home to this family."

Justin's mother and stepfather have worked tirelessly to try to find him. They said they're encouraged by the fact that Gwinnett County police have developed some leads.

"I know they've been doing busy doing interviews and going to a few houses," said Steven Wilson, Justin's stepfather. "We don't have any specifics, but we know they're working on it."

For Saturday's search, organizers focussed on a four-mile radius around the cell tower that picked up Justin's last phone call to one of his friends last Thursday night.

"If there's anything suspicious, we're gonna mark it for the police and hopefully get Justin home," said Kelli McGill, Justin's aunt.

"We need him back, we need him back," said Justin's mother. "We all miss him very much."
Family and friends remain confident they will find Justin safe somewhere.

They're offering a reward to anyone who comes forward with information about Justin's whereabouts.

The reward stands at $2000 now.

For more information about how you can add to the reward fund, call Karen Beyers at 770-822-4556.

http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=106227

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JMHO

I checked out his webpages.  He was definately a football nut.  Cannot imagine, with all the playoffs going on in college football that he'd be missing out. I don't believe he left on his own free will.  I just got a bad feeling that he met up with trouble that night.  I hope I'm wrong, My own son is the same age, approx size and plays college football.  I'm saying prayers that they find him soon. 

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/14560992/detail.html
Family, Volunteers Search for Missing Teen
UPDATED: 4:24 pm EST November 10, 2007
GWINNETT CO., Ga -- Friends and family spent the day Saturday searching for 18-year-old Justin Gaines. The teen was last seen on November 1 at Wild Bill's nightclub in Gwinnett County.

Searchers fanned out on both sides of Interstate 85 near the nightclub, but reported little progress in the search for Gaines. Family members have started a reward fund for information which might help in locating him. So far, the reward stands at $2,000. To add to that fund or for more information, call 770 822 4556

Friends of the victim stated that he has false identification in the name of Brad Allen and Brad Shewe. Justin is described as being 5"11' and 210 lbs with a muscular build. He has blue eyes and brown hair with a short buzz cut. Both of his ears are pierced with diamond studs. He was last seen wearing a long sleeve, gray shirt with "Abercrombie" written on the front, blue jeans with holes and flip flops.

Investigators have started attempts to track Justin's cell phone and obtain any relevant video from the area that he was last seen. Anyone who has information on Justin's whereabouts or if anyone has seen Justin is strongly encouraged to call the Gwinnett County Police Department at 770-513-5300.

There will be a prayer vigil for Justin on Sunday (11/11/07) at 9am at Grace Fellowship Church (http://www.gracefellowshipchurch.com/), 1400 Dogwood Rd., Snellville.

http://www.justingaines.com/

EQUUSEARCH out of Texas http://www.texasequusearch.org/ will be here tomorrow (Monday 11/12/07) to assist us in the search for Justin. BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP GUYS!!! We need donations becuase Tim Miller of EQUUSEARCH is a non profit organizartion. He does everything out of the goodness of his heart! Things we need donated:
1-transportation (either a doanted vehicle or a rental car at a nominal fee)
2-lodging (either a hotel room for him or someone who has the room at thier home)
3-food, water for the searches that he will be conducting
4-volunteers for the searches

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6358607097&ref=mf

Erika Wilson (no network) wrote
at 11:33pm
We will be letting u all know when the Texas group arrives. We will need a lot of people to help. I am suppose to meet with him tomorrow to get information. Thanks for all you prayers that means the world to our family. We need to find JG and thanks for the guys out right now tonight looking for him! I thank you all for your posts about Justin, help, and support at this time of need. You are all great! Thanks again!
Mom
Erika Wilson

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6358607097&ref=mf

When is the potential search?

Not sure we know yet Peaches...Lala's posted in Benjamin Stanford's thread that TES was looking yesterday in the area in Ga. that Ben's car was found(Villa Rica). Tim was going to be checking on both of these disappearances I believe. If I see anything in another thread I will post here for you. I'm sure Klaas or Red will let us know as soon as they hear anything.

Last seen walking toward a car that he called his ride with 2 men standing by the car.

Reports also say he was seen in the parking lot of Barnacles with these same 2 men.

IF YOU AS MUCH AS SPOKE to him that night please contact Gwinnett Police.

http://www.wildbillsatlanta.com/wildbillnew/pages/events3.html

http://www.texasequusearch.org/missing_persons/JustinGaines.pdf

Tip Line:
1-800-617-8705

From Justin's message board:

Equisearch arriving to help look for Justin 11/13

They are arriving tonight (11/13) and will start searching tomorrow (11/14).

North Ridgeville man’s son missing in Georgia
Lisa Roberson | The Chronicle-Telegram

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — A North Ridgeville man has endured many sleepless nights since learning his son has not been seen or heard from for more than a week after partying with friends at a bar in Georgia.

Richard Gaines of Wallace Boulevard said his 18-year-old son, Justin Gaines, has been missing since 1 a.m. Nov. 1, when he was last seen at a bar called Wild Bills. Police have said there are no witnesses of how Justin Gaines left the bar.

Gwinnett County police Cpl. Illana Spellman said there have been reports that Justin Gaines got into an altercation with another patron at the bar. However, details remain sketchy about the altercation because the two friends who were with Justin Gaines that night have refused to cooperate with police requests, Spellman said.

Aside from a cell phone call logged at 1:33 a.m. when Gaines said his son called friends in hopes of getting a ride back to his mother’s home in Snellville, Ga., the Gainesville State College student has vanished without a trace.

“I’m out of my mind,” Gaines said Monday. “There’s no normalcy. Once that happens, everything that was going on just goes out the window. It just turns your life upside down.”

Police are investigating Justin Gaines’ disappearance as a missing person’s case as there has been no evidence of foul play, Spellman said. Media outlets in Georgia are reporting that Equasearch of Texas is joining the search for Justin Gaines.

The muscular, blue-eyed college student has lived in Georgia with his mother, Erika Wilson, stepfather and siblings since moving there more than 10 years ago, his father said. Still, the two have remained close, speaking often and chatting online. Gaines said the last time he talked to his son the conversation was about an upcoming visit home for Christmas. Justin Gaines has extensive family in the Lorain County area.

However, on Nov. 4 all those plans changed as Gaines said he received a phone call telling him his oldest child was missing. Since then, Gaines has logged many hours making phone calls, passing out fliers, trading e-mails and even traveling to Georgia to canvass the area around the bar. But, nothing has turned up to tell him what happened to his son.

“The hardest part is the not knowing,” Gaines said. “Nothing makes sense because he wouldn’t just walk away from everything. He’s got a lot going on in his life.”

Contact Lisa Roberson at 653-6268 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.

How to help


A nationwide fund has been setup through National City Banks to help cover expenses related to the search.

   -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Found this in our local paper.First I heard of an altercation, and his friends not cooperating.

Equisearch will be conducting a search tomorrow morning (11/15)at 8:30, meeting at
Berkmar United Methodist Church
http://www.berkmarumc.org/
675 Pleasant Hill Road, Lilburn, GA 30047
(Map on website)
Must be 18 w/ a valid ID
Closed toe shoes and Long pants must be worn

(http://i11.tinypic.com/87k5np3.jpg) (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=4937590&version=1&locale=EN-US)

Family searches for teen who disappeared from nightclub

By ANDRIA SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/15/07

Fighting off a creeping sense of dread is easier when you're busy.

Erica and Steve Wilson, the mother and stepfather of 18-year-old Justin Gaines, have done everything they can think of to find their son since he vanished from Wild Bill's nightclub in Duluth two weeks ago. They've organized search parties, hired a private investigator, collected $50,000 for a reward fund for his safe return and just this week set up a toll-free tip line at 1-877-270-9500.
 
Amid all this, Steve has been trying to keep it together for Erica, who in turn is struggling to hold up under the strain for the sake of the six other children in their blended family. But when the phone stops ringing and all the people leave, it's all they can do not to plunge into despair.

"The worst thing is at night and in the morning, Your mind and hands are idle," Steve Wilson said.

The Wilsons had reason for renewed hope Wednesday, though. A nonprofit search-and-rescue team, Texas EquuSearch, arrived to orchestrate a large-scale search that is scheduled to begin today.

Tim Miller, the director of Texas Equu-

Search, said he hoped to mobilize 150 to 200 volunteers to scour the area around Wild Bill's. Anyone 18 years or older wishing to join the search can meet at Berkmar United Methodist Church at 675 Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth from 9 a.m. until dusk. The search will include the use of all-terrrain vehicles. The search team also has access to horses, helicopters and boats with sonar equipment should they be needed, Miller said.

Most of the searching since Gaines' disappearance Nov. 1 has been conducted on foot by friends and family members who have little to no experience with missing persons cases, said Erica Wilson. Texas EquuSearch has offered its services in searches for more than 800 missing people, including Natalee Holloway, 18, who disappeared last year in Aruba, and 17-year-old Ben Stanford, the grandson of Alabama state Sen. Jim Preuit whose body was found Tuesday near Villa Rica, Ga.

Miller said he expects to "hit the ground running" today. He started Equu-

Search after his own daughter was abducted and murdered in 1986.

Gaines, a Brookwood High School graduate, is Erica Wilson's second son of three. He's also the one who looked most like her.

She clutched her cigarettes in one hand and cellphone in the other as she spoke to reporters in her driveway Wednesday, as if clinging to her only lifelines. Erica Wilson said she could not sleep or eat and admitted lately she had started smoking "like a freight train." She wore no makeup, and her hair was pulled back in a hasty ponytail.

"I can't cry all day long," she said. "I have to be able to think and take care of the other kids."

On the day he disappeared, Gaines drove home from Athens to Gwinnett County and told his mother he was going out with friends. He later called his roommate to pick him up from Wild Bill's, but the friend told Gaines he couldn't, family members said.

His last phone call was made shortly before 2 a.m., relatives said, and he has not been seen or heard from since.

Gwinnett police say they have no reason to suspect Gaines was a victim of foul play, and they are still treating the disappearance as a missing-person case. The investigation has slowed over the past week because some associates of Gaines have been uncooperative, said Cpl. Illana Spellman, spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Police Department.

Anyone with information on Gaines' whereabouts is urged to contact the department's Criminal Investigations Section at 770-513-5300.

Gaines was making A's and B's during the first months of his freshman year on the Oconee campus of Gainesville State College and was a popular student.

He was a bit of a partier and a regular patron at Wild Bill's on Thursday nights, which target the 18-and-up crowd. Gaines had VIP tickets. He had two fake IDs in the name of Brad Allen and Brad Shewe. He used them to buy alcohol, Gaines' friends would later tell his parents.

Gaines wasn't always so sociable, according to his grandmother, Karen Yaroma, who shares Gaines' brilliant blue eyes. Years ago he was a "chubby little freckled kid with not a friend in the world" until one summer in high school he discovered weightlifting and the tanning bed, she said.

"All of a sudden that one summer, he redesigned himself," Yaroma said.

Friends and family members reject the idea that Gaines left of his own accord. They say he would never leave for so long without letting anyone know.

"I don't believe for a second that he's got some wild college itch and he's gone off to Florida," Steve Wilson said.

"We were close," he added before correcting himself. "We are close."

http://www.ajc.com/gwinnett/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2007/11/14/missing_1115.html

JustinsGainesMomNewbie
Joined: Nov 14, 2007
Posts: 1

 Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:35 am    Post subject: Thank You   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
I want to thank everyone for their prayers and support. I want to thank the people who have been praying for Justin. Also those who have been looking for Justin and those coming out in the morning. The people that have dealt with the media for me. Set up a great website and contacted numerous site to put Justin on. I could not function with out all the help we have received. I have spent tonight reading this forum. I appreciate all the kind words you have. That means so much to me! Also thank you to all that have been hanging the flier for us. The ones who have brought meals over, and donated to Tim Millers Texas Search Team. To those Who have made 100's of fliers. The people who have donated to his funds. This all means so much to our family. God bless you all! If anyone know anything that might help find my son please contact the gwinnett Police at 770-513-5300 or 1-877-270-9500. I really need my baby Justin Gaines back!

There is a 50,000 reward for the safe return of my son.

Also a 10,000 reward for his where abouts.

There are 2 funds one:

REWARD DONATIONS: make your checks out to:
"THE JUSTIN GAINES SEARCH FUND"
and send them to:
c/o Michael Wilson
P.O. Box 1277
Lithonia, Ga 30058

The search fund in Ohio was set up so people can donate from Ohio to the JUSTIN GAINES SEARCH FUND. They are the same account, but to make it easier for people in Ohio to also help. That is where I was raised and Justin was born. To be used in helping find Justin. Also so his family in Ohio can come back and help us.

The other is
REWARD DONATIONS: make your checks out to:
"THE JUSTIN GAINES REWARD FUND"
and send them to:
c/o Michael Wilson
P.O. Box 1277
Lithonia, Ga 30058

This is to help with reward money to find our son.
Both these accounts are set up at the Peoples Bank in Lithonia. We have them sent there since his father works right by the post office and people bank there. It has been The Wilson's family bank for years and Brenda at that bank was a great help setting this up for us.

I guess i may see some of you in a few hours. Once again Thank you all so much!

Erika and Steven Wilson
 

http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=106506

(http://www.11alive.com/assetpool/images/0711783416_justingaines250.jpg)

Volunteers Search for College Student
 

The search for missing college freshman Justin Gaines resumed Thursday morning.

Gaines was last seen at Wild Bill’s nightclub in Gwinnett County on November 1st.

About fifty volunteers gathered at Berkmar United Methodist Church Thursday morning to help in the search. They spent much of the morning getting trained on the techniques that they would need from search experts.

Gwinnett County Police are investigating the disappearance as a missing person case. They were not part of the private search that was being held Thursday.

Police say their investigation has been hampered by friends of Gaines' who have not been cooperative.

SEARCHERS AND SUPPLIES WILL BE NEEDED FOR 11/16 SEARCH
http://www.berkmarumc.org/directions.htm
Berkmar United Methodist Church
675 Pleasant Hill Road, Lilburn, GA 30047
Must be 18 w/ a valid ID
Closed toe shoes and Long pants must be worn


Please come out if you can, and if you can't, spread the word to someone who can!!

Thay are also in need of food & drink donations.

Tim Miller on this clip:
CBS 46 (http://www.cbs46.com/video/14605705/index.html)

11 Alive (http://www.11alive.com/video/player.aspx?aid=83169&bw=)

Fox 5 (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=4943557&version=1&locale=EN-US)

WSB TV (http://www.wsbtv.com/video/14605548/index.html?taf=atl)

Police: Missing Teen's Friends Not Cooperating (http://www.wsbtv.com/video/14608920/index.html?taf=atl)

Search for Missing Teen (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=4947478&version=1&locale=EN-US)

(http://i17.tinypic.com/6kr1ngn.jpg)

Searchers turn up no signs of missing teen

By ANDRIA SIMMONS
Published on: 11/15/07

Another day of searching Thursday yielded no answers for the family of missing college student Justin Gaines.

A turnout of 27 volunteers disappointed relatives and members of a nonprofit search-and-rescue team, Texas EquuSearch, but searches remained optimistic.

If they turn up nothing by dusk, they said, they plan to suspend operations at night and resume beating the bushes Friday.

"We've had a lot of success in the past," Texas Equusearch founder Tim Wilson said. "Of course, every day that goes by, we get more and more concerned."

Gaines, 18, vanished two weeks ago after friends dropped him off at Wild Bills nightclub in the bustling Gwinnett Place Mall area of Duluth. Gaines, a former Brookwood High School student, attends the Oconee campus of Gainesville College in Athens. He often returns to his family's split-level home in Snellville on weekends to make extra pocket money working on roofing projects with his stepfather, Steve Wilson.

Gaines is also a regular patron of Wild Bill's on Thursdays, the 18-and-up night. Friends later told Gaines' family that he has two fake IDs which he uses to buy alcohol.

The muscular, outgoing teenager was last heard from shortly before 2 a.m. Nov. 1, when he made several calls from his cellphone to friends asking for a ride home from Wild Bill's. None of his buddies was able to pick him up, and he never returned home, family members said.

Since then, relatives and friends have had no reprieve from worry and anxiety.

Gaines' mother, Erica Wilson, stood nervously among volunteers who gathered at Berkmar United Methodist Church Thursday morning to start the search. Someone handed her a missing flier with her son's picture on it. She promptly bent down and kissed the photo before bursting into tears.

"I'm just tired; I'm stretched out like a rubber band," Wilson said.

Jeff Carr, who met the Wilsons on a build for Habitat for Humanity, said he took the day off from work to help search. Carr said he has been trained in search-and-rescue techniques as a Georgia National Guard member.

"I just hope we can find something," Carr said as he donned knee pads and grabbed a walking stick. "We need some evidence to lead to where he's at."

Other volunteers like Joe Roberts, who lives two houses down from the Wilson family, were beginning to doubt Gaines would be found alive after so much time has passed.

"I want to look for a person, but I'm afraid it will be a body," Roberts said.

Link (http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2007/11/15/missing_1116.html)

FOX 5 at Noon (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=4955009&version=1&locale=EN-US)

FOX 5 (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=4958726&version=1&locale=EN-US)

WAAAAAAAA.......those vids do not load on my puter..WAAAAA  :sad:

I'm sorry.  :sad:

If you Google "my foxatlanta" you'll run into it.  Channel 5 is our local Fox affiliate.

Or  http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/

I'm trying here.  It's early.  And cold.

Fox 5 Video Link (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=4965068&version=1&locale=EN-US)

Article Link (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=4965628&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1)

Found this on another site

I have been thinking about this and connecting these two in my mind. These are my thoughts and mine alone, but I cannot somehow wonder if the disappearances of Justin Gaines and Kyle Fleishchmann are not possibly connected.

Justin Gaines was last seen at Wild Bill’s in Duluth, GA on Thursday night, November 1st. Kyle Fleischmann disappeared from Buckhead Saloon in Charlotte, NC in the early morning hours of Friday morning (was at the club also on a Thursday night) on 11/9/7.

As you see from the map, these two bars are approximately a 3 ½ hour drive.


Kyle Fleischmann is a 6′0″, 24-year-old male with brown hair. He has a muscular build and weighs approx. 180lbs.


Justin is described as being 5″11′ and 210 lbs with a muscular build. He has blue eyes and brown hair with a short buzz cut.

Looking at their pictures, they look very similar.

Justin is 18, Kyle 24. Both men reportedly stepped outside the bars they were in and made phone calls. Neither has been seen since.

Could there be a possible connection?


VMS Thought I would post this as a possibility. Thanks for all the links VMS.

 :2thinky: mmmmmmm...interesting

yes...ty vms

Why are his friends not cooperating with police?
They have to be hiding something either about their activities that night, or about Justin, or about what happened to him. But they are definitely hiding something.

I agree, and what about the altercation he supposedly had inside the bar?

Any updates on this case?  I take it TE were not able to uncover any leads?  there has to be something ... people do not vanish into thin air.  Maybe the parents or LE can lean on the uncooperative kids .. they know something.  Hopefully some one with a conscious will come forward soon. 

Searches everyday except Thanksgiving Day

Command Post:
Berkmar United Methodist Church
675 Pleasant Hill Rd.
Lilburn, GA
http://www.berkmarumc.org/directions.htm

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:703842839&start=12

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
 
November 20, 2007 Tuesday
Main Edition 
 
GWINNETT NEWS; Pg. 3J 
 
223 words
 
 
Search for teen pared in Duluth
 
ANDRIA SIMMONS; Staff
 

Relatives of a missing college student say they will continue searching for him despite the departure of a nonprofit search-and-rescue group.

Three days of scouring the area around Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth for signs of Justin Gaines yielded no clues about his disappearance, said Cindy Wisdom, case manager for Texas EquuSearch. Texas EquuSearch is a Houston-based nonprofit search-and-rescue group. It helped search for Gaines but left Saturday.

Wisdom expressed disappointment that her team was unable to bring closure to Gaines' family before Thanksgiving, but said they had to pull out because the volunteers had holiday plans of their own.

"I couldn't ask them to stay away from their families," Wisdom said.

Gaines, an 18-year-old student at the Oconee campus of Gainesville College in Athens, vanished Nov. 1 after friends dropped him off at Wild Bill's nightclub in Duluth.

He was last heard from shortly before 2 a.m., relatives said, when he made several calls to friends asking for a ride home.

None of his buddies were able to pick him up, and he never returned home, family members said.

A handful of local volunteers plan to continue searching for Gaines this week using Berkmar United Methodist Church in Duluth as a base of operations, said his mother, Erica Wilson.

"I'll never give up on finding my baby, never," Wilson said. 
 
November 20, 2007

Gwinnett Teen Still Missing After 19 Days 
 
Last Edited: Tuesday, 20 Nov 2007, 10:27 PM EST 
Created: Tuesday, 20 Nov 2007, 10:27 PM EST 

 
Missing Gwinnett Teen 
ATLANTA (FOX 5) -- After 19 days -- still no sign of a missing Gwinnett County teenager. Police say there's still no sign of foul play in the disappearance of 18-year-old Justin Gaines. Justin Gray reports. Click video for more information.
 
(http://i16.tinypic.com/71owjyq.jpg) (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=4994393&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1)

Justin's family is requesting eveyone to email Governor Perdue and the elected officials listed below. Ask for a Georgia search and rescue team to be deployed to assist the family in finding Justin. Whether you live in Georgia or not, please take a minute and do this. It is heartbreaking. The family is out searching every day with only 8 to 10 people helping. They are desperate and are not getting a lot of community support. The hope is that a tracking dog could at least pinpoint an area to search.


Governor Perdue
http://www.gov.state.ga.us/contact_dom.shtml

Snellville Mayor
Jerry Oberholtzer
Joberholtzer@snellville.org

Gwinnett County Commissioner for District 3
Mike Beaudreau
mikeb@mikebeaudreau.com

Gwinnett County Commission Chairman
Charles E. Bannister
Charles.Bannister@gwinnettcounty.com

Thanks VMS - will do.

Didn't TES help search about a or so ago?

They did, Klaas, but had so few people show up to help.  :sad:
TES was wonderful. I was told many left with tears in their eyes because they could not find Justin. I don't think they had tracking dogs with them though.

The problem here is that the SAR's teams have to be deployed by LE and that hasn't happened. My understanding is they are sitting on ready but have to have the order from the right place to go...

UPDATE:
We have the Georgia State Defense Force http://www.gasdf.com/ coming in to help with the search for Justin. We need volunteer searchers and food. We will start accepting food donations on Friday at 8am...through Saturday. Searchers...we need people to help us search. PLEASE PEOPLE...WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

from Justin's facebook group

Effort to Find Missing Gwinnett Co. Teen Continues 
 
Last Edited: Saturday, 24 Nov 2007, 6:28 PM EST 
Created: Saturday, 24 Nov 2007, 6:28 PM EST 

Reported By: Justin Gray



GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5) – The search for Gwinnett County teenager Justin Gaines continued Saturday and there was new hope that someone would find a trace of the missing student.

Extra manpower and extra help were called in for the 18-year-old Gaines. 

"They've all had wilderness search and rescue training and they're good at it," said

More than 120 members of the Georgia Defense Force fanned out across Gwinnett County and a private investigator who has worked on the Natalee Holloway case also joined in the effort.

"We plan for a full-scale investigation and with my presence to assist in that investigation and to keep this case active and live," said private investigator TJ Ward.

Gaines has been missing for 23 days and he was last seen November 1 at the Wild Bill's nightclub in Gwinnett County.

"I just want to find my son.  I have to make my family whole again," said Gaines' mother Erika Wilson.

Investigators said there has been no sign of a crime, but Gaines' family thinks someone knows something about the teen's disappearance.

FOX 5's Justin Gray can be reached at justin.gray@myfoxatlanta.com.


Article Link (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=5027179&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1)

Video Link (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=5027242&version=1&locale=EN-US)

any updates from Saturday?

ONLY ON 46: Gwinnett Teen Arrested Before Disappearance


UPDATED: 6:21 pm EST November 26, 2007
(http://www.cbs46.com/2007/1126/14697808_240X180.jpg)
    * Video: ONLY ON 46: Gwinnett Teenager Arrested Months Before Disappearance



DULUTH, Ga. -- A Gwinnett teenager who has been missing for more than three weeks was arrested earlier this month in Athens, according to police report obtained exclusively by CBS 46 News.

According to Athens-Clarke County police, Justin Gaines, 18, was arrested June 21, after an officer found an open bottle of vodka in Gaines’ car.

According to the report, the arresting officer found Gaines passed out in his car.

“Have you been drinking?” the officer asked. Gaines said no, according to the report.

After being asked whether he would take a Breathalyzer test, Gaines said “Yes, I’ll do anything,” according to the report.

The report said Gaines blew a .11 blood alcohol level, well above the state limit of .08 percent. Gaines was charged with second-degree forgery for a fake ID, possession of alcohol by a minor and open container.

Gaines had a court hearing scheduled for Nov. 21, but failed to show up.

Gaines disappeared on Nov. 2. He was last seen at Wild Bill's nightclub in Duluth.

CBS 46 talked with Gaines’ stepfather, Steven Wilson, Monday. He said he was not aware of the charges before Gaines disappeared.

But Wilson said he does not believe Gaines’ disappearance is related to the charges.

http://www.cbs46.com/news/14697360/detail.html

(http://i10.tinypic.com/6slpd0o.jpg) (http://www.wsbtv.com/video/14701420/index.html?rss=atl&psp=news)

Missing Gwinnett Teen Was Facing Charges

POSTED: 7:39 am EST November 27, 2007
UPDATED: 8:07 am EST November 27, 2007


LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- The Gwinnett County teen missing since a night of drinking last month was facing previous alcohol-related charges, WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News has learned.

Family members confirmed that Athens police arrested Justin Gaines, 18, for underage drinking, an open container and possession of a fake ID on June 21.

He was scheduled to make a court appearance last week.

His family dismissed suggestions that the legal problem was behind Gaines' disappearance.

The teen has been missing since a night out November 1 with friends at Wild Bill's nightclub in Duluth.

Several searches and a $50,000 reward have failed to turn up any sign of Gaines.

The Gainesville College student came home the night he disappeared and told his mother he was going out with friends. He was dropped off at Wild Bill's. Later that night, he called a friend to pick him up, but his friend told him that he could not.

Police have said the investigation has slowed due to lack of cooperation from some of Gaines' close friends.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/14701618/detail.html

Thanks vms...I've been looking out for updates....I do not believe he went missing over a fake ID and open container.  Did you ever see anything else on his friends that were not cooperating with the authorities? That seemed a little strange to me.

Hi Mum,

As far as I know, the friends are "lawyered up" and still not cooperating.

I have been trying to follow up on this as well.  I don't think he vanished into thin air and I hardly think he disappeared because of these charges.  What was the worst that would happen?  A bunch of fines?  It's not like he would be facing some extened jail time.  I just dont think he would disappear on the 1st or 2nd when his court date wasn't even until the 21st. 

VMS, do you know why his friends would "lawyer up"?  I have heard that there are no leads, but it has to be a little telling that these friends don't want to talk.  Wouldn't that mean they are covering up something? 

I just feel like I am missing something.  I can only imagine how his parents must feel.  :sad:

No, I wish I knew.  :smt102

Search Continues for Justin Gaines

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5) -- The search for missing Gwinnett County man Justin Gaines enters its third week.  Search groups set out again on Monday from Berkmar United Methodist Church in Lilburn.

Gaines was last seen at the Wild Bill's nightclub in Gwinnett County on November 1.  Gaines' mother called police November 4 after her son failed to return home. There have been no signs of him since then. 

Family members say the search has been difficult because some of Gaines’ friends haven’t been cooperative in providing information about the night of his disappearance.

According to the Gwinnett County police department, the case is still listed as a missing person case and there was no evidence to support or deny foul play.

Anyone with information on the case should call the Criminal Investigations Section of the Gwinnett County Police Department at 770-513-5300.

Article Link (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5050138&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1)

FOX 5 Video Link (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=5051278&version=1&locale=EN-US)

vms   Just wanted to let you know that we have put Justin's name on a list we are putting together in the 'Project Dead Zone' thread along with Benjamin Stanford's(seems there is some questions there). There seems to be a lot of missing persons along I-20 from Tx through Georgia. Also, are you aware of Jason Roark,from Snellville,who went missing November 2006 near there?

Is it possible that these friends that lawyered up did something because they were afraid that Justin would rat them out somehow?  Maybe they were with Justin just before he was busted?  I don't know,  not cooperating with authorities makes them look awfully suspicious....PLUS,  I don't know of any teens that drink alone,  they always are in groups!!! 

Thank you, Mum.  :)

Yes, I am aware of Jason Roark's case. The same PI is working on both cases. Probably a good thing...

Some interesting comments:


I have been reading this because im not home to do any help. I am a freshmen at Utah State and havent been home to be caught up on all the details. I knew justin a little but not a lot.

However on the two friends who wont cooperate one of them is my best friend. She was at Wild Bills that night with them and has told the police all she knows. They have held her in a room and made her cry hysterically because her "times do not add up" anyone who goes out knows that you dont check your watch every 5 min. I know it is important to get the times right but when you are out you dont check the watch.

It is not her fault that justin went missing and i would appreciate if everyone would stpo bashing the "two friends". She has told EVERYTHING she knows and has been involved in the search's for him.

I dont think you should be so rude when its not you being bashed by the police you dont know how it feels.
Ryan | 11.27.07 - 5:19 pm | #

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 I am praying for justin and his family and wish there were something that i could do.

In my heart i am home. But please stop bashing the fwo friends. They have seriously told all they know. && perhaps they were a little drunk. That seriously impares their judgemnet.

*Praying for Justin*
Ryan | 11.27.07 - 5:29 pm | #
 
Link (http://www.haloscan.com/comments/truecrimeweblog/3904002166752014891/?src=hsn)

That is interesting.  There is a difference in not cooperating and telling all you know and there is nothing else to tell. 

Makes you wonder which is true.

http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=51347

POSTED: 2:31 pm EST December 7, 2007
UPDATED: 2:56 pm EST December 7, 2007
Video Of Missing Gwinnett Teen Surfaces

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/14800188/detail.html

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- A private detective has uncovered video that shows a missing Gwinnett County teen on the night he disappeared.

The grainy, 10-second video shows Justin Gaines, 18, at Wild Bill's nightclub on November 1.

WSB-TV Channel 2 has learned that a private investigator hired by the Gaines' family discovered the shot of Gaines after going through hours of the club's surveillance tapes.

Family members identified the person on the tape as Gaines.

The Gainesville College student disappeared after a night of partying at Wild Bill's with friends.

Several searches and a $50,000 reward have failed to turn up any sign of Gaines.

He is described as being 5"11' and 210 lbs. with a muscular build. He has blue eyes and brown hair with a short buzz cut. Both of his ears are pierced with diamond studs. He was last seen wearing a long sleeve, gray shirt with "Abercrombie" written on the front, blue jeans with holes and flip flops.

Anyone who has information on Gaines' whereabouts or anyone who has seen him is encouraged to call the Gwinnett County Police Department at 770-513-5300.

JUST POSTED ON
http://www.scangordon.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=12177&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=2655

Posted by: daizyjayne Fri Dec 07, 2007 6:23 pm
The clip just on Channel 2 was good... it states that the Security Guard at WB's spoke to him upon his leaving and that he said that Justin said he had a ride..... so maybe this DOES mean that he got into a car (for sure) and did not head out on foot.

Sometimes it takes a PI to get the ball rolling.... as with a County as large as Gwinnett (as any other large area...) there are only so many investigators and hours in each day.

Sounds like he is on to something..... which is FANTASTIC!!!

Someone, definitely, knows something ans saw him leave!!!!!

mmmmmm....I am confused. Not sure I understand. The post I made above comes from the blogger daizyjayne @ scangordon forum. I don't know what you mean by a PI saying it.  She says the Security Guard at the Wild Bill bar said it.
I am confused as to what you mean..??

New Video Of Gaines Revealed
 
There are new clues in the disappearance of a college student from Gwinnett County. A private investigator has released surveillance video from the last place Justin Gaines was seen.

The private investigator said he feels someone knows what happened to Gaines. He also announced a $12,000 reward for information about Gaines' whereabouts.

Surveillance video from Wild Bill's shows Gaines arrive and greet a couple of friends, then walk out of frame. A security guard told investigators he saw Gaines leave a few hours later.

"When he turned his attention back to Justin, he had disappeared into the darkness," said investigator Bob Poulnot. "We don't know if Justin got into a car, or walked away, but he's assuming from Justin's statement that he had a ride, that he got into someone's car."

Since his disappearance last month, friends and volunteers have spent countless hours searching for the Gainesville College freshman. There was already a $50,000 reward for Gaines' safe return, and again the private investigator announced an additional $12,000.

Anyone with any information can call an anonymous tip line at 877-270-9500.

Article Link (http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=107668)

Video Link (http://www.11alive.com/video/player.aspx?aid=84591&bw=)

Surveillance Video Released in Case of Missing Gwinnett Co. Teen 
 

Justin Gaines Search 
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5) – Justin Gaines vanished from Wild Bill's nightclub November 1 and hasn't been seen or heard from since. Surveillance video just released showed the missing teen inside the nightclub and authorities are hoping the tape will produce new leads. FOX 5's Morse Diggs reports.

Video Link (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5156811&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1)

Story of Missing Gwinnett Co. Teen Appears on National TV 
 
Last Edited: Saturday, 08 Dec 2007, 10:30 PM EST 
Created: Saturday, 08 Dec 2007, 10:30 PM EST 

Reported By: Denise Dillon

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga.  (FOX 5) – The story of a missing Gwinnett County teen appeared on an episode of America's Most Wanted Saturday night.  Eighteen-year-old Justin Gaines vanished without a trace more than a month ago.

Gaines has been missing since November 1 and his picture appeared on national television Saturday in hopes it would lead to the breakthrough in the case.

 
Video: Story of Missing Gwinnett Co. Teen Appears on National TV
FOX 5's Denise Dillon Reports
Gaines mother and stepfather, Erica and Steven Wilson, watched the program from their Gwinnett County home and they hoped his appearance on the show would the key to unlocking the clues to his mysterious disappearance.

Gaines was last seen at the Wild Bill's nightclub in Duluth on November 1.  Surveillance video that captured the teen arriving at the club was recently released and it confirmed Gaines was at the popular nightspot just before he disappeared.


"We see him shaking hands with a couple of friends that he met, then he disappears from video going inside the club," said private investigator Bob Poulnot.

Poulnot said a security guard that was working at the club that night remembered seeing Gaines leave.

"Justin exited the building around 2:30, he seemed upbeat and he had located a ride," said Poulnot.

Over the past five weeks, friends and neighbors have been searching for Gaines and they were aided last month by specially trained search and rescue teams for the Georgia's state defense force.

Investigators said there was no evidence that Gaines was the victim of foul play, but there has also been no evidence of where he might be.  Gaines' friends and family said they just hoped to find out something about his disappearance soon.

"No matter what happened to Justin, it's going to be OK.  Just call us and let us know where he is," said Erica Wilson.

Anyone with any information on Gaines' whereabouts should contact the Gwinnett County Police Department.

Article Link (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5164423&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1)

Video Link (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=5164526&version=1&locale=EN-US)

http://www.myspace.com/urbanflatsatlanta

(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc254/madjulmom34/Justinflyer2sm.jpg)

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub3/JustinGains.jpg)

Vigil Held for Missing College Student

By Catherine Kim
WXIA-TV Atlanta

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA -- Nearly a month and a half after a Gwinnett County college student disappeared many of the leads in the case have gone cold. But Sunday night, the family of Justin Gaines gathered in Snellville for a vigil to pray for his safe return.

Nearly 100 people gathered in the hopes that others would hear their prayers. “This Thursday will be six weeks that I haven’t seen or talked to my son,” said Gaines’ mother, Erika Wilson.

But so far, those prayers have remained unanswered.

But new clues are emerging. Just this week, private investigators released a surveillance tape from the Wild Bills nightclub, the last place Gaines was seen on November 1st.

"Security guards were saying he was in good spirits," Wilson said. Guards saw Gaines get into a car.

After countless hours of combing the area around Wild Bills, Gaines' family is finding they have nowhere else to look. "It's really hard to realize that we really don’t know where he is," Wilson said.

So, friends and families continue to put the spotlight on Gaines, not letting anyone forget who he is, and that he’s missing.
http://www.crimeandjustice.us/forums/lofiversion/index.php?t11575.html

More Help in Search for Missing Teen

Reported by: Jerry Carnes
Last Modified: 12/18/2007 8:22:07 PM


Erika Wilson's didn’t have the heart to put up her Christmas tree this year. Her daughter had to do it.

Now, Erika finds it hard to look at a tree that smiles at her with homemade ornaments made years ago by her son Justin.

"It's torture,” said Wilson. “Without Justin, how can it be the same? When you don't know where your child is, when you go to sleep when it's cold outside and you don't know if he's warm, it's hard to think about Christmas."

It's been well over a month now since 18-year-old Justin Gaines was captured on security video entering Wild Bill's Club in Duluth.
His family and friends have searched a 30 square mile area around the club trying to find out what's happened since that night, without any success.

Now, they want to decorate the area with billboards and buttons and posters to remind everyone of the case.

The owners of Urban Flats restaurant in Snellville have declared this Thursday “Justin Gaines Day of Hope.” The business will donate all of that day's profits to help the family pay for their efforts.

"There's a mom and dad and five or six brothers and sisters who are hurting,” said owner Bob Rodgers. “We wanted to do something to benefit them."

Erika Wilson said one of Justin's brothers once asked for a laptop computer to take to college next year. Now, he says he wants nothing for Christmas except to have his brother back home. Erika, meanwhile, avoids her Christmas tree except to look at one ornament, and angel given to her by a friend.

"It says ‘you're in my hearts and prayers,’" said Wilson. "It's there for Justin so he comes home safely."

Article Link (http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=108222)

Video Link (http://www.11alive.com/video/player.aspx?aid=85187&bw=)

TOUCHED BY A STORY

Family still lives with not knowing

By ANDRIA SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/23/07
AJC Gwinnett News reporters and photographers covered thousands of stories this year. We asked our staff to share with readers how a particular story touched them — personally or professionally. "Touched by a Story" is the result. In the next few days, we hope you also will be touched by these stories. In the process, you will get a glimpse into the workings of the journalists who hustle every day to bring you the news.


It is surely every mother's worst nightmare having a child who doesn't come home.

Erika Wilson and her husband, Steve Wilson, of Snellville, are still living that nightmare today, almost two months after their 18-year-old son Justin Gaines disappeared from a Duluth nightclub on Nov. 1. There have been no solid clues, no leads to follow, no body, nothing. It must be, in a word, terrifying.

Gaines vanished a few hours after friends dropped him off at Wild Bill's nightclub in the Gwinnett Place mall area of Duluth.

Friends have told Gaines' family that he used fake IDs to buy alcohol that night, a commonplace infraction for fun-seeking college students.

The muscular, outgoing teenager was last heard from shortly before 2 a.m., when he made several calls from his cellphone to friends asking for a ride home. None of his buddies were able to pick him up, and he never returned home, family members said.

The former Brookwood High School student was living near Athens, attending the Oconee campus of Gainesville College, but he frequently returned to Snellville to visit his family on weekends.

The family graciously allowed me into their home as search parties organized in the weeks after the disappearance and allowed me to witness their emotional roller coaster. I don't know if I could have done the same in their place.

Something else that touched me even more than this family's tragic circumstances was their obvious love and concern for one another. They were short on sleep and worried out of their minds. On top of that, they had to worry about caring for the six other children in their blended family. Yet in the banquet hall of Berkmar United Methodist Church in Duluth, while search party volunteers organized one morning, I saw Erica Wilson lean into her husband and whisper "I love you," as he patted her arm and replied, "I love you, too."

Steve Wilson rarely let his wife out of his sight, worrying aloud to me at one point, "She could fall apart at any minute." Gaines' grandparents also jumped in, eager to help, and they were thrilled to be given the task of handling the sign-up sheet for volunteers.

Each day, I hoped there would be some news to bring this family closure, even if it was the worst-case scenario that he had been found dead. It never happened. The family went on to celebrate Thanksgiving without him, and now it appears that Christmas will be the same.

The Wilson family remains determined to find him. They have hired a private investigator, opened a Justin Gaines search fund and started a nonprofit organization to help pay for fliers and billboards. Every Thursday, they return to the "18-and-up" night at Wild Bill's to put fliers on all the cars, hoping patrons will provide a clue to Gaines' disappearance.

"This is the hardest thing, just not knowing anything," Erica Wilson said in an interview last month, adding "I'll never give up on finding my baby, never."

• Andria Simmons is the AJC Gwinnett News police news and courts reporter. Reach her at 770-263-3660. If you have any information on this missing persons case, call 1-877-270-9500.

  Article Link (http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2007/12/23/simmonsstory_1223.html)

Tough Christmas for Missing Teen's Family

The holidays are usually a joyful, fun-filled time for families. But for one metro Atlanta family there's an empty seat at the dinner table.

Justin Gaines, 18, has been missing for nearly two months.

The family will tell you their lives are now forever referred to by one marker: what happened before Justin disappeared and after.

On this Christmas, as family members from as far away as Ohio and Las Vegas laughed and caught up, it is almost unbearable for Erika and Steven Wilson.
Their son Justin disappeared November 1st from the Wild Bills nightclub in Gwinnett County.

Friends say he called them late that night asking for a ride home but no one could make it. No one knows what happened after that.

Gwinnett County Police are investigating Justin's case.

In the meantime, family members have set up a Web site asking for information, put up billboards and have passed out an estimated 5,000 flyers.


11 Alive Link (http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=108473)

Holidays Hard for Gaines' Family

As some are cleaning up in the kitchen others catch up with cousins while others fuss over the newest babies in the family. By all outward appearances this is a typical family Christmas dinner until you notice the sudden, fallen faces and palpable moments of sadness as they remember who's not there.

"It's not the same its not Christmas it's not anything like Christmas," said 21-year-old Joe Wilson.

He misses his younger brother, Justin Gaines, who's been missing now for nearly two months. His absence is felt hardest by his parents Steven and Erika Wilson.

"Christmas won't be the same you go through the motions because of the other kids can't go without because you're not emotional there but it still won't be the same," said Steven Wilson.

Justin Gaines is a freshman at Gainesville College and lives in Athens. Friends last saw him the night of November 1, 2007 going into the nightclub Wild Bills in Gwinnett County. Friends say all he had with him was two fake IDs, a little cash and a cell phone. According to one friend, Justin called him asking for a ride home but the friend couldn't make it. Justin was never heard from again.

For Justin's mother spending Thanksgiving without him was hard enough. Christmas, she says, is excruciating.

"Every day is harder. New Year's is going to be hard because it will be two months that he hasn't been home if he doesn't come home before then," said his mother.

Gwinnett county police are investigating Gaines' disappearance and the family has hired a private detective. In the meantime they've set up a website in Justin's name, www.justingaines.com, along with erecting billboards and passing out an estimated 5,000 flyers. Now all they can do is wait for someone to call the toll free hotline number with information.

"Somebody knows where he is and I just wish they'd let us know so we could find him and know what's going on to help our family," cried Erika Wilson.

11 Alive Article Link (http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=108476)

Video Link (http://www.11alive.com/video/player.aspx?aid=85478&bw=)

Police Suspect Foul Play In GA College Student Disappearance

Gainesville State college student Justin Gaines has been missing since November 1, 2007, and up until February, 2008, police had treated his case as a missing persons case. But police now say they have information to suggest Justin met with foul play.
 
http://amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=51347


Police investigate possible foul play in teen's disappearance

By ANDRIA SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/08/08

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/02/08/gaines0209.html


'Foul play' in Gaines case? Police say leads may point to that

By Andria Simmons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/09/08

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/02/09/gaines0209.html?cxntlid=inform


Foul Play Suspected In Justin Gaines Case
Reward For Information Raised To $25,000

http://www.cbs46.com/news/15252622/detail.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4S_G-b2stI

Nice personal Video of Justin. He sure is a handsome guy! Wish there was some news. I do fear when it comes, it won't be good. I also think his friends know more. I follow along in scangwinnet forum with his Mom Erica. I am not a member and don't post, but it is sad to see so many in pain. So many in pain, all over....so sad.

was checking to see if there was any new news.....nothing in the past few weeks....wish they'd get more info on their leads and bring this young man home to his family.

Here is the forum I spoke of if you'd like to check it now and then.
http://www.scangwinnett.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=106

thanks Nut, I will go check it out.

Human remains found in woods

POSTED  March 13, 2008 4:02 p.m.
A city worker found skeletal human remains in a wooded area of Gainesville this morning, police said.

Capt. Chad White said the remains were found about 9:20 a.m. near the intersection of Pine Street and Summit Street.

The remains were being sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab in Decatur. A cause of death and how long the person had been dead could not be determined at the scene. The gender of the remains also could not be determined. It was unknown whether foul play was involved, White said.

White said detectives will be looking through missing persons reports as part of the investigation.

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/4143/

~~~~~~~~~~
 Gainesville is about 33 miles North of Duluth--where Justin was last seen.

Not Justin. Just in:
GAINESVILLE - Gainesville Police now know the identity of the skeletal remains found last week.

The body was found last week by utility workers in a wooded area near the intersection of Pine Street at Summit Street.

Lt. Brian Kelly said the body "has been classified to be a male subject." He added: "There does not appear to be any signs of forced injury or trauma, indicating foul play."

According to Kelly, the man appears to be in his mid-50s.

The cause of death and when death occurred has not been determined. The man's name is being withheld pending notification of relatives.

http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=208178&c=1

Family holds onto hope missing man will be found

March 30, 2008
NORTH RIDGEVILLE — Under other circumstances, the burgers, beer and country music at VFW Post 9871 would have put smiles on everyone’s faces.

Instead, the mood Saturday night was somber as the family of North Ridgeville native Justin Gaines raised money to continue the search for the 18-year-old college student who disappeared from his Georgia home five months ago Wednesday.

“We’re very hopeful until we find proof otherwise that Justin is alive and safe somewhere,” said his aunt, Kelli McGill.
Gaines

Justin’s mother, Erika Wilson, said her son went out with friends on Halloween and was last seen at a Georgia bar called Wild Bill’s.

He asked her what shirt he should wear because he was going out to meet girls, Wilson said.

Police told the family recently that they now believe Justin’s disappearance is due to foul play, though they won’t tell Wilson why they believe that.

She said detectives give her weekly updates on the search for her son — saying they are looking at phone records and trying to get Justin back on “America’s Most Wanted,” which has featured his story twice.

The Georgia State Defense Force has already conducted two widespread searches, McGill said, and the family continues to print fliers and hire experts to look for Gaines.

Wilson also has a private investigator trying to track down her son. She said the PI has been volunteering for months, but they want to raise money to pay him to stay on the trail seven days a week.

Justin moved to Georgia as a second-grader, and many of his old friends have rallied around the family in the past few months, Justin’s aunt, Lisa Stout, said.

“People we don’t even know have helped us. The whole family is touched,” she said.

Gaines’ family also was raffling off things Saturday, including a Cleveland Browns helmet donated by Riddell. McGill said she was hoping the dinner and raffles would raise about $4,000 to continue the search for Justin.

This will be an especially tough week for the family, she said. Monday will mark Justin’s 19th birthday.

A nationwide fund has been set up through National City Bank to help fund the family’s search. Contributions may be made at any branch

http://www.chroniclet.com/2008/03/30/family-holds-onto-hope-missing-man-will-be-found/

omg....I do not know how to move the video over here, but you have to see it.

Posted by Kittymom
post#61 pg.7

http://helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?p=177857#post177857

 :smt089

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3004319714241567788&q=justin%20gaines&total=34&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=3

What a beautiful tribute to this young man.  He is obviously very loved and cared about.  I still think it's amazing how people can just vanish into thin air.  I can't believe that it has been so long already with no new information (or at least none that the public is being made aware of).  If it is foul play that we are looking at, the public needs to be made aware so they can keep their eyes open to anything they see that may match descriptions of people and vehicles.  If foul play is suspect, does that mean they think he is deceased?  I think this case is very sad indeed.  Then again, all of these cases are very sad.  Sometimes I think I need to take a break from coming here but I know that would be complacency and complacency doesn't get any information out there.  I pray for all of these families to get some answers, even if they are painful, because everyone deserves to know where their loved ones are. 

Mom's new job: Find missing son

She's determined on mission she never desired

By Andria Simmons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 05/02/08
 
Erika Wilson's job pays nothing, causes unbearable stress and so far has produced no results.

But she is determined to pursue what became her life's work exactly six months ago —- helping authorities find her missing son, Justin Gaines.

"I never wanted this new life," Wilson said. "I didn't ask for it, but it's my job now."

Working from a garage turned into a home office, she has focused on making buttons and bumper stickers, raising funds for a reward, handing out fliers, setting up a telephone tip line and maintaining a Web site —- anything to make sure the public doesn't forget her son.

Searches yield nothing

No one has seen or heard from Gaines since he disappeared from Wild Bill's nightclub off Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth early on Nov. 2. Weeks of volunteer search parties' scouring the area turned up no clues. "Not a shoe, not a shirt, nothing of his belongings," Wilson said.

Gaines was 18 and a freshman at the Oconee campus of Gainesville College in Athens. He had been home visiting his family in Snellville.

Gaines reportedly called several friends that evening asking for a ride home, but none could pick him up. Wilson suspects Gaines got "the wrong ride" from someone who hurt him.

She also clings to hope that he is alive somewhere.

While the case remains unsolved, Wilson said she has no desire to return to her job in real estate.

Erica and her husband, Steve Wilson, have also hired private investigator Bob Poulnot of Lawrenceville.

"I know it's been a long time," Poulnot said Thursday, "but we're still working on leads and we don't intend to give up."

Gwinnett police spokesman Officer David Schiralli said investigators have no more leads to follow. "Every possible avenue that we could follow up, we followed through on," Schiralli said. "Now we're just waiting for anybody else to come forward with new information."

Schiralli said investigators have placed many items into evidence, and 75 were delivered to the GBI lab for analysis. He declined to talk about specific pieces of evidence. Schiralli said the GBI will soon meet with Gwinnett investigators to review the case "from an outsider's point of view."

Time doesn't erase loss

Some of the six other children in the Wilsons' blended family —- ages 13 to 21 —- have celebrated birthdays in their brother's absence. When Gaines' 19th birthday passed March 31, Wilson developed such a migraine headache that she couldn't move from her bed.

Steve Wilson, Gaines' stepfather, decided that day to have a likeness of Gaines tattooed above his heart. Wilson said her husband wanted to see his son's face every day in the mirror when he dresses.

Today, family and friends will gather for a cookout and candlelight vigil in remembrance of Gaines at Bethesda Park at 225 Bethesda Church Road in Snellville.

The Wilsons are offering a $25,000 reward to anyone with information leading to Gaines' whereabouts. Anyone with information can call 1-877-270-9500 or visit www.justingaines.com.

Until they get the tip they've been waiting for, Wilson's work continues.

"Every day I cry, pray and hope for answers," she said. "I can't imagine doing this another six months. I want to quit this job."

http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2008/05/02/gaines.html

           :cry: :cry: :cry:

Still 'nothing' on student's fate
18-year-old not seen since nov. 2

May 13, 2008
Six months after Justin Gaines disappeared from a Duluth nightclub, his family and police know little more about what happened to the Gainesville State College student than they did in November.

Gaines, who lived in Athens and attended Gainesville State's Watkinsville campus, has not been seen since Nov. 2.

His family has raised a reward fund of nearly $25,000 for information leading to the recovery of his remains or to the conviction of the person responsible for his disappearance - much of the money raised with fundraisers like a bowl-a-thon planned for this Saturday in the Ohio town where many of Gaines' relatives still live.

The last glimpse the Gaines family had of him was from a video security camera at a popular Duluth club named Wild Bill's. The camera caught Gaines laughing and talking with friends about 2 a.m. Nov. 2.

Friends had dropped the 18-year-old off earlier that night at Wild Bill's where a crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 people typically gathers on Thursday nights, his mother said.

The club is across Pleasant Hill Road from Gwinnett Place Mall near Interstate 85.

When the Brookwood High School graduate was ready to go home, he called several friends for a ride but had no luck. The telephone calls were the last contacts Gaines had with anyone who knew him, as far as friends and family know.

"It's just frustrating. It's just been such a long time, and I don't have any answers," said Justin's mother, Erika Wilson.

Since that November day, Gwinnett County investigators have put more than 2,000 man-hours into trying to track down what happened, followed leads to 14 counties and conducted 18 land, water and air searches in six counties, according to Officer David Schiralli, a public information officer for the Gwinnett County Police Department.

Police have told Wilson they suspect foul play, but neither police, a private investigator Gaines' family hired nor volunteer horse trackers with Texas EquuSearch have been able to trace Gaines beyond the Wild Bill's Saloon parking lot, Wilson said.

"Nothing," she said.

No transactions appeared on his bank account and no activity on his cell phone, which his family still pays - "no nothing," she said.

"He's just a responsible kid. He would be in contact with us," Wilson said of her son, who was in his first semester at Gainesville State College's Oconee County campus. He planned to transfer to the University of Georgia.

"Right now, we are looking for anyone to come forward with any new information to move forward," Schiralli said.

Gaines, a husky 5-foot-10 and 230 pounds, was wearing ripped jeans and a gray Abercrombie shirt when last seen, according to a flyer his family has distributed widely. His hair was in a buzz cut. His 19th birthday was March 19.

The family has raised reward money both in Georgia and in northern Ohio, where Justin's mother and father grew up and where his father still lives.

"We will never let anybody forget this kid, no matter how long it is," said Kelli McGill, an aunt who helped organize a fundraiser for this Saturday - a bowl-a-thon at Rebman Recreation in Lorain, Ohio.

Lorain is west of Cleveland near North Ridgeville, Ohio, where Justin spent the first year of his life and where many of his relatives live.

Police and Gaines' family asked anyone with information about his disappearance call Detective T.R. Tobler of the Gwinnett County Police Department at (770) 513-5300 or the Texas EquuSearch toll-free number (877) 270-9500.

Wilson wonders if people have paid less attention to Justin's disappearance because he is male.

"People don't think males are in danger. They think 'They're healthy males, and why did they take off?' " Wilson said.

But bad things can happen to men as well as women, said Wilson.

"I've got an idea he got a ride from the wrong person," she said.

Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 051408

http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/051408/news_20080514079.shtml

  (http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j120/Bearlyhere/JustinGaines.jpg)

*******************************
Fox Video from 5/02/08
http://www.justingaines.com/justin2ndmay.html

Written by his Mom:

Thursday, May 22, 2008
 
May 19th-20th 2008

These first two days of the week have been hard. Monday I totally feel apart just thinking of Ben Graduating on Wednesday. I keep thinking about how just a year ago we were watching Justin Graduate and seeing his excitement in going off to college. I am so proud of Ben and he is so excited he will be entering college. I on the other hand am scared of him leaving. I was excited for Joe and Justin when they graduated and were going off to school. Now I am worried to let him even leave but I know I have to let him follow his dreams.

I am not sure how I will handle graduation. I want to be so strong for Ben but I just know my heart will be aching for Justin thinking how it was just last year he was on that field getting his diploma and now I don't even know where he is.

Tuesday My mom and Step dad have arrived for Graduation tomorrow. It was great seeing them again and spending time with them. We grilled hamburgers out and all enjoyed dinner together. I know Ben is glad they were able to come down from Ohio to watch his graduation.

I have spent the last months not really listening to music except for Find your way Home by Tara London. But I have listened to some other song that Steven or I have found on Justin's I pod. I couldn't believe how much music he has on that thing. But Steven on day listening to it stumbled across a song he has on it that neither of us had heard. When Steven played the song I knew why he wanted me to hear it. It is certainly song we can relate with and as I listen to it now my tears flow and my heart aches so much. My pain is so real and is never goes away. This is a song called The Tin Man by Kenny Chesney.


The Tin Man
-------------

Saw a man in the movies that didn't have a heart
How I wish I could give him mine
Then I wouldn't have to feel it breaking all apart
And this emptiness inside would suit me fine

It's times like these
I wish I were the tin man
You could hurt me all you wanted
I'd never even know
Well...I'd give anything just to be the tin man
And I wouldn't have a heart and I wouldn't need a soul

I couldn't see your leavin' comin'
It took me by surprise
Even now still seems like a dream
But I know I can't be dreamin'
'Cause as I lay down each night
The pain's so great that it won't let me sleep

It's times like these
I wish I were the tin man
You could hurt me all you wanted
I'd never even know
Well..I'd give anything just to be the tin man
And I wouldn't have a heart and I wouldn't need a soul
Well I'd give anything just to be the tin man
And I wouldn't have a heart and I wouldn't miss you so.


With Hope and Love,
Erika and Steven Wilson

http://www.justingaines.com/familymessage.cfm

Thank-you Bearlyhere.  :sad:

5/29/08

http://tinyurl.com/52d9y6

North Ridgeville Family Hopes National Exposure Will Help Find Missing Son

Video where Justin's father talks about his son and the epidemic of so many missing male college students.

You're welcome Bleachedblack.  You are right about there not being any new news but this family is still putting his face out there and fighting their fight.  His dad looks exhausted.  My heart goes out to this family.  They have such faith that he will be found.

Justin Gaines Featured On "Without A Trace"

The case of a Gwinnett County teenager who has been missing for seven months was featured on CBS' "Without A Trace". CBS 46's Tony McNary reports.

http://www.cbs46.com/video/16433433/index.html

Family of missing adult son tries to help others

Justin Gaines last seen at a Duluth nightclub on Nov. 2, 2007

By ANDRIA SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 08/12/08

Time is a parent's worst enemy in missing persons cases.

Erika Wilson believes a time lapse of almost two weeks between the Nov. 2 disappearance of her 18-year-old son, Justin Gaines, from a Duluth nightclub and the launch of a full-scale search may be the reason her son remains missing more than nine months later.

Now she's working to help other families beat the clock.

"The first 72 hours are so important," Wilson said. "There is so much information that people need that they don't always get."

Some of the things people don't get — help with making fliers, raising money, organizing volunteers or hiring private investigators — Wilson wants to help provide with her new nonprofit organization, aptly named the Justin Time Foundation.

The foundation's first fund-raiser is Thursday at Little Gardens restaurant in Lawrenceville. Festivities will include music, food and a silent auction.

Although her focus has broadened to helping others, Wilson said she still yearns to find her missing son.

In Gaines' case, his age and reputation as enjoying the party life may have worked against him. Witnesses told police he was using a fake ID at the club to buy alcohol the night he vanished.

Because Gaines was a legal adult, police listed him as a missing person but did not immediately begin searching for him.

"It's a national problem that there is not a standard protocol law enforcement follows for missing adults," said Bob Poulnot, a private investigator hired by the Wilson family. "That is probably based on the assumption they have a right to be missing."

It was not until February that Gwinnett Police announced they suspected foul play.

Gwinnett police spokeswoman Cpl. Illana Spellman said Friday that detectives have since suspended the investigation because no new leads have surfaced.

"The investigators involved in the Gaines case worked tirelessly for several months to exhaust all possible leads," Spellman said.

Poulnot released several new details recently about the last sighting of Gaines, a freshman at the Oconee campus of Gainesville College in Athens.

A surveillance camera at Wild Bill's nightclub shows the muscular teenager leaving the club around 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 2, holding a cellphone to his ear and walking in a manner "not indicative of an intoxicated person," according to Poulnot.

Someone else reported seeing him around 2:30 a.m. outside of the club, Poulnot said, where he appeared to be waiting for a ride.

The family — which includes Erika and Steve Wilson and six other children in their blended household — believes that Gaines got "the wrong ride" by someone who hurt him that night.

Poulnot said nine months of investigation has led him to suspect Justin may have been the victim of a homicide.


What: Justin Time Foundation fund-raiser and silent auction

When: 7 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14

Where: Little Gardens restaurant, 3571 Lawrenceville Highway, Lawrenceville.

Cost: $35 per person or $60 per couple pays for music, beer and hors d'oeuvres

For more information: Call 678-886-6127, 404-242-3640 or e-mail justintimefoundation@comcast.net
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/08/12/missing_adult_son.html

Missing Georgia Teen Not Forgotten By Family, Friends
Sunday, November 2, 2008 – updated: 3:20 pm EST November 2, 2008

SNELLVILLE, Ga. -- An 18-year-old Georgia student missing for a year hasn't been forgotten.

Justin Gaines' mother and about 150 friends and supporters gathered Saturday in Snellville to keep Gaines' memory alive and to continue the search for him.

The search began Nov. 2, 2007, when the freshman at Oconee campus of Gainesville College in Athens disappeared from a Duluth nightclub.

His mother, Erika Wilson, said they have distributed thousands of fliers, bumper sticks and buttons bearing his image.

Police said they are no closer to finding Gaines.

Gwinnett police spokesman Cpl. David Schiralli said there is no new information, but the case is still open.
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/17868881/detail.html?rss=atl&psp=news

Family gathers to remember missing teen
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Saturday, November 01, 2008

On the first day of November, a month indistinguishable from the difficult ones just past, a mother tried to forget that her son may never come home again.

And so, instead of giving in to her fear, Erika Wilson on Saturday afternoon did what she has done since she first learned her son was missing: She kept Justin Gaines’ memory alive.

About 150 family and friends gathered around tables decorated with cowboy boot confetti and ate barbecue brisket, cole slaw and mac and cheese at the Snellville Masonic Lodge. Each hoped their donations of $5 a person for the meal, and their purchases of raffle tickets, would help bring Justin back home.

They have been searching for Justin since Nov. 2, 2007, when the Snellville teen — then an 18-year-old freshman at Oconee campus of Gainesville College in Athens — disappeared from a Duluth nightclub. They have distributed thousands of fliers, bumper sticks and buttons bearing his image. “Have you seen me?” they all ask.

A year later, neither Gwinnett County police nor the family’s private investigator, Bob Poulnot, are any closer to finding him.

Cpl. David Schiralli, a Gwinnett police spokesman, said last week, “I can tell you now that there is no new information. The case is still open, and investigators are waiting for any new leads to surface or someone to come forward.”

Poulnot said he’s not giving up. But he acknowledged that the longer Justin Gaines is missing, the greater the odds he will not be found alive.

“He had a close relationship with his family and friends. He was enrolled in college and doing well,” Poulnot said. “It’s very unlikely he would not call his family and let them know his whereabouts within a few days, much less in a whole year.”

The approximately $1,400 raised Saturday will help pay for the private investigator; keep Justin’s cell phone service activated; print more fliers, bumper stickers and buttons; and maintain a Web site, www.justingaines.com.

By keeping Justin’s image before the public — by praying until something happens — his family hopes to eventually turn up clues to his whereabouts.

As strains of Keith Anderson’s “I Still Miss You” played softly in the background, family and friends, many wearing buttons bearing Justin’s image, milled in and out of the lodge dinning hall. Some stayed to talk. Others ordered to-go plates and left.

At 5:30 p.m., everyone gathered in a circle.

The Rev. Randy Rainwater of Grace Fellowship Church in Snellville said he was at a loss for words.

“This is one of the hardest things I’ve even been a part of,” he said, before bowing to pray for peace and comfort for the family. “My prayer is that someone some where will be brave enough to tell the truth.”

That’s Wilson’s prayer, too.

She wonders how much longer she can do this, but she also thinks what life would be like if she didn’t keep looking for Justin.

“You have to have hope,” she said. “I couldn’t function if I didn’t.”

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/11/01/gaines_1102_web.html

Lots are missing in GA, but I'll post this here.....

Human Bones Found in Gwinnett

June 30, 2009
Gwinnett County Police are trying to identify human remains that were discovered Monday by someone walking near the Gwinnett-Barrow County line.

Police say the remains were found in some woods along Georgia 316.

"At this point in time, we're trying to figure out who it is," says police Corporal David Schiralli, "and the circumstances surrounding these bones."

Schiralli tells WSB the bones, which were scattered, had been there for a long time. They don't know if the person is a male or a female or if foul play is involved.

"The remains were found, we responded and it's now being worked on," Schiralli says. "We don't even know if it's a homicide yet."
http://wsbradio.com/localnews/2009/06/human-bones-found-in-gwinnett.html

Remains Likely Not Those Of Justin Gaines, Police Say

POSTED: 2:46 pm EDT June 30, 2009
DACULA, Ga. -- Human remains were found in some woods near Dacula, police said.

Gwinnett County police said in a statement Tuesday that the remains were found on Monday near the intersection of Drowning Creek and Tanner roads in unincorporated Gwinnett County.

The remains were found by workers of a tree cutting company, investigators said.

The medical examiner said the remains were at least a year old. The gender and cause of death have not yet been determined, police said.

According to the statement, a preliminary review of dental records by the medical examiner likely ruled out that the remains are those of Justin Gaines, a teenager who disappeared in November 2007.
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/19905696/detail.html


and the search continues.....  ::MonkeyNoNo::

NEW BLINK POST:

Justin Gaines Missing From Gwinnett County GA: Unidentified Remains Found Near Last Sighting

http://blinkoncrime.com/2009/12/08/justin-gaines-missing-from-gwinnett-county-ga-unidentified-remains-found-near-last-sighting/

May not be him but the location is very near

Remains found in Gwinnett likely female, police say

http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/remains-found-in-gwinnett-230884.html

Just to clarify identifications

Remains above ID:Maritza Yepez 16
http://www.ajc.com/news/police-skeletal-remains-of-244265.html

Remains from my post on June 30th ID: Scott Spalding of Dacula
the link no longer works
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/main.asp?SectionID=6&SubSectionID=84&ArticleID=62926

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/justin-gaines/view
JUSTIN GAINES

Teen still missing 5 years after leaving night club
Posted: Nov 02, 2012 10:24 PM MDT
Updated: Nov 03, 2012 12:43 PM MDT

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA (AP) - Justin Gaines, 18, of Snellville, went missing after leaving Wild Bill's Night Club in Duluth five years ago.

The Night Club was packed with college students Nov. 1, 2007.

Now Gaines' mother and the private investigator working the case told CBS Atlanta News that they have a new tip in his disappearance.

They are hoping to connect that lead with a tip that was called in nearly five years ago.

The last known image of Gaines was taken from a surveillance camera outside the night club. In it Gaines can be seen walking out of the camera's view, never to be been again.

Back then family, friends and even the National Guard searched for Gaines and didn't find him.

But now his family has new hope.

Private investigators Bob Poulnot said someone called in an anonymous tip in the past few weeks which seems to back up a tip an anonymous woman called in shortly after Gaines went missing.

 ::snipping2::

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/19991797/teen-still-missing-five-years-after-leaving-night-club