James Earl Smith Jr., 31, was last seen in Indianapolis on November 1, 2005. A third-generation logger who ran his family’s logging business, Smith was at the City-County Building for a court appearance when a fire alarm prompted a building-wide evacuation. In the confusion of people leaving, he was seen for the last time and then disappeared.

Smith is described as a Black male, 6 feet tall, about 165 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department opened an investigation, but no significant leads emerged and the trail went cold. His case is listed with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System as MP57159.

The abrupt disappearance from a secure public building during a chaotic evacuation remains unexplained. If anyone saw James Smith Jr. at the City-County Building on November 1, 2005, or has information about his whereabouts, please come forward.