Steven Lee Hixson, 45, was last seen in Trinity County, California on March 1, 2017. That day he called police to his Hayfork home, first saying he had been struck in the head with a baseball bat inside someone’s residence and later saying he had hit his head in a fall. Responding officers saw bruises on his head and summoned an ambulance; Hixson refused medical treatment and transport and has not been heard from since.

Investigators have identified the person who allegedly struck Hixson with the bat, but it is not clear whether that person is being treated as a suspect in his disappearance. At the time he went missing Hixson was known to frequently walk and ride his bicycle long distances, and authorities consider it possible a head injury left him confused and wandering into the wilderness near Hayfork.

Hixson is a white male, black hair, brown eyes, 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 149 pounds. He has a tattoo of a woman’s name on his right shoulder, a scar on his abdomen from a splenectomy, and was known by the nickname Steve. If anyone saw Steve around Hayfork on or after March 1, 2017, or has information about his whereabouts, please contact the Trinity County Sheriff’s Department.