Vernon Kent Jones was 23 when he vanished after leaving a small party in Manhattan on the night of January 2, 1993. He had moved to New York City from North Carolina to pursue acting. That night he reportedly began feeling unwell and left the East 7th Street apartment to return to his Upper West Side apartment, but never arrived. At the time he was last seen he wore a tan jacket over a red and gray sweater, blue jeans, and brown hiking boots; his wallet and identification were left in his own apartment.

No one at the gathering actually saw Vernon leave the building. Two people stepped out briefly and returned to find him gone; another heard a door close and assumed he had gone outside. His family has continued searching, hiring a private investigator pro bono and providing one of Vernon’s baby teeth so his DNA could be entered into the national CODIS database.

If anyone knew Vernon, saw him in Manhattan that night, or has information about the blocks between the East Village party and the subway he would have used, please share what you know.