James Norman Batten, 83, went missing from his Madison Street home in Selma, North Carolina, in mid-December 2021. Known as Jimmy or Moes, the Army veteran had given up driving because of poor eyesight and was last seen on December 15, 2021; investigators believe he disappeared on December 18 after noting his calendar habit of crossing off days stopped on the 17th and the 18th was untouched. His family reported him missing on March 6, 2022, after failing to reach him.

When officers checked the house they found it tidy with the front door unlocked and his cell phone inside. The taxi service he used had no records of trips after December 15, a birthday card sent December 20 remained unopened, and there has been no banking or credit activity. Searches by Selma police and the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, including drone and ground efforts, turned up no sign of him; his DNA is in the national missing/unidentified persons database with no matches.

The disappearance remains unsolved and investigators are asking anyone with information to come forward. Did anyone in the Selma area see James or notice anything unusual on December 15–18, 2021?