Ernie Lonnie Earls disappeared from Piggott, Clay County, Arkansas, in the late spring or early summer of 1987. On the day his family recalls, the 21-year-old left his grandparents’ home on foot intending to meet an unidentified male and was seen getting into a yellow vehicle; he was never seen again.

At the time he vanished Earls was described as a white male with brown hair and blue eyes, between 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 120 to 170 pounds. Family members remember him wearing blue jeans, possibly a light blue shirt with orange, white and yellow stripes on the sleeves, and often wearing a necklace with an eagle charm. For reasons not publicly detailed, he was not reported missing until May 6, 1993.

Investigators with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and later the Arkansas State Police reopened and reviewed the case. An Arkansas State Police special agent said he suspected foul play, and information developed that Earls may have been shot after being lured to a rural area near the Black River; searches with cadaver dogs did not recover remains. His family has provided DNA samples and continues to seek answers.

If anyone knew Ernie, the yellow vehicle, or the man he was meeting that day, can you share what you remember?