Gailon Leak, also known as John Willie Leak, was 41 when he was last seen on September 14, 2002, in Red Spring, North Carolina. He lived on the 200 block of Pevia Drive and was reported to have been driving off in a dark-colored Jeep. He was described as a Black male with black hair and brown eyes, about 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall and around 140 pounds.

The disappearance remained cold for years. In December 2007 authorities arrested Reginald Junior Murphy and charged him with Leak’s murder; prosecutors said the alleged motive was to prevent Leak from testifying against Murphy’s brother in a separate murder case. In 2009 Murphy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a ten- to thirteen-year sentence. Murphy told police Leak had been at the Campbell Compound on Johnson Road and that his body was buried there, but searches of the area produced no remains.

Foul play is suspected and the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office retains the case file. Did anyone in the area know Gailon, his movements in September 2002, or the dark-colored Jeep he reportedly left in?