James Curtis Kitchens, known as JC, was 48 when he vanished from Jackson County, Oregon, in September 1998. According to his wife’s account to authorities, he left home to buy cigarettes and never returned. There were no confirmed sightings, no contact, and no clear clues after that errand.

His sister in Texas did not report him missing until 2002 after being told by James’s wife that the couple had divorced, a claim the sister could not verify. At disappearance he was described as a white male, brown hair, blue eyes, about 6 feet 0 inches tall and between 155 and 180 pounds. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has kept the investigation open as a cold case.

What information might help fill the gap between that last known errand and the 2002 report—witnesses, vehicle sightings, or records of the couple’s status—could be crucial; anyone with knowledge of James’s life or movements in September 1998 is asked to come forward.