Donald Ray Billings, 30, vanished after a car crash on February 14, 1997 in Marion, Virginia. At about 5:00 p.m. the Dodge Daytona he was driving ran off Route 16 near the Hungry Mother Grocery. He spoke to the other driver and was seen walking away from the scene toward Mitchell Valley wearing blue jeans and low-cut brown shoes.

Billings failed to report to work at Natalie Knitting Mills and an intensive search followed. Law enforcement, including a state police helicopter, searched the crash site and nearby Hungry Mother State Park but found nothing. One lead suggested he may have hitched a ride from the Village Truck Stop on Interstate 81 in Atkins. Family members have raised theories including possible drug-related foul play, but no evidence has been produced.

Billings lived with his mother and was engaged. The Smyth County Sheriff’s Office continues to list the case as open. If anyone knew Donald’s movements that evening or saw a man matching his description near Route 16, please contact investigators.