Erik Thomas Ruiz, 25, was last seen by his girlfriend in Carbon Hill, Alabama, on January 13, 2011. During that visit he gave her money to add minutes to his phone and to buy groceries; she was six months pregnant with their son at the time. Later that day he reportedly rode with a friend to the Winfield area and from there either drove or was driven to Guin, then vanished.

A few days after his disappearance two hunters found his cell phone in a wooded area of Marion County. In the months that followed additional personal items were discovered in remote parts of neighboring Lamar County. Investigators now treat the case as a probable foul play matter and have classified him as an endangered missing person. Police named a person of interest early in the inquiry who reportedly disappeared from view around the same time, but no arrest has been announced.

What information might still help fill the gaps about Erik’s last movements or the person of interest?