Joshua Ian Larkin, 38, was last seen by his mother at her Kirbyville, Texas, residence at 9:00 a.m. on November 17, 2022. He told her he was going hunting at a friend’s property called Exotic Cat Refuge on the 200 block of Private Road 7025. The next day the property owner contacted Larkin’s mother because his locked vehicle, with his personal belongings inside, remained parked on the property. His mother filed a missing person report with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office on November 19, 2022.

Authorities suspected foul play and investigated for three years. On November 17, 2025, arrests were announced: Justin Taylor James and Johnathan Cody Bierhalter were charged with first-degree murder; James Alex Jones was charged with second-degree felony tampering with evidence with intent to impair a human corpse; and Rodney Allen Blankenship was charged with third-degree felony tampering with evidence. Larkin’s body has not been recovered.

A large-scale search in January 2026 on a property on County Road 418 near Kirbyville turned up items believed to be evidentiary, including a pair of boots, a cell phone, and a hoodie matching the description of what Larkin was last seen wearing. Does anyone have information about Larkin’s last movements near Exotic Cat Refuge or the County Road 418 area?