John Myron Reed was 20 when he was last seen leaving his Zanesville, Ohio apartment after a phone call on November 29, 1998. Family members had been at the apartment helping him set up a home entertainment center earlier that day. He left wearing a white fuzzy sweater, blue jeans, and brown Eastland shoes and was never seen again by his loved ones.

On December 2 his van was found abandoned at an apartment complex on Cedar Street in Newark, Ohio, near the county jail; the white sweater he had been wearing was inside the vehicle. One of his three roommates contacted his parents the next day and, according to the family, the roommates had cleaned the apartment and removed some of John’s belongings after he disappeared. Police later learned John was involved as a low-level cocaine seller and had been under investigation for arrest around the time he vanished. His mother said he had $10,000 in cash she declined to help him use to buy a car, and she suspects he was robbed and murdered. A tip later claimed he was shot three times, but that detail has not been confirmed.

Foul play is strongly suspected and the case remains open. If anyone knew John’s movements on November 29, 1998, or has information about the van, the roommates’ actions, or the alleged tip about a shooting, please come forward.