Officers, family still searching for Mississippi man missing six years

Published 2:19 am Saturday, March 30, 2024

June will be six years since a Bogue Chitto man went missing. The case is out of the hands of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and in the hands of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.

Jonathan Paul Estes was last seen on June 1, 2018 before he vanished. He was 35 at the time of his disappearance, he was about six foot tall and weighed 150 to 175 pounds. Estes had brown hair and brown eyes.

Tattoos of an Eagle and cross surrounded by red orange flames are on his back. His sister Melissa Estes reported him missing on June 2, 2018.

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The Daily Leader reported Estes was listed in the National Criminal Information Center because of charges filed by his ex-wife Cindy. A grand jury later did not indict him on the charges. The two had separated in April 2018 and things got heated when Jonathan delivered divorce papers to her May 31, 2018, his sister Melissa told The Daily Leader in May 2019.

A truck belonging to Estes was found in a nearby field off Wallace Drive two weeks after he went missing. Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing told The Daily Leader in May 2019 investigators were able to determine that Estes left the vehicle there.

MBI stated the case remains open.

“Due to this being an open and ongoing investigation, no further comment can be made at this time,” a spokeswoman for MBI said.

June 1st and 2nd will be the first anniversary of Jon’s disappearance without his father Carl Estes looking for answers. Carl died on June 30, 2023.

“Dad passed away last June and he left this Earth without knowing what happened to his son,” Melissa Estes said. “It has been tough to carry on the torch in the search for Jon without him, but we are doing the best we can.”

Melissa said as a loving sister her heart wants to “hold out for a glimmer of hope.” She added the logical side “says that he is no longer with us.” Jon’s passion and dedication to family and friends is one specific thing she misses about her brother.

“He left a huge hole in the lives he touched,” Melissa said. “Please continue to spread the word about Jon’s disappearance. Keep his memory alive, talk about him, most importantly, keep him and his story in the media. If there is someone out there that knows exactly what happened, please come forward. The only way we will find him is with the help of the people in Lincoln County. We will search until we find him.”

Anyone with information about Estes’ disappearance is asked to call Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at 601-833-5231, MBI at 601-833-7811 or CrimeStoppers at 601-823-0150. Anonymous tips can be emailed to findjonestes@gmail.com. Melissa created a Facebook page to help in the search for answers regarding her brother’s disappearance.