Hester Maynard Keith Jr., 47, was last heard from on February 18, 1988, after a morning phone call with his secretary. He told others he planned to drive to Sanford and later attend a boat show in Raleigh. The last call was traced to a transmission tower near Lake Wheeler Road, placing him within about a fifteen-mile radius shortly before 11:00 a.m.

Five days later his blue and silver pickup was found parked in a wooded area near the Jordan Lake dam in Moncure. The vehicle was unlocked and contained his wallet, credit cards, checkbook, and an unfired gun; his briefcase was missing. Family members say his degenerative muscular condition limited his ability to walk long distances and that he would not have gone into that rugged terrain on his own, a detail that has kept suspicions of foul play alive.

The Wake County Sheriff’s Office has not developed substantial leads and the case remains unsolved. Does anyone who lived or worked near Lake Wheeler Road or Jordan Lake in February 1988 recall seeing Hester or his pickup?