VALLEJO (KRON) — A Vallejo family is desperately searching for answers about a father who has been missing for weeks.
On Thursday night, they tell their story exclusively to KRON4’s Hermela Aregawi.
“Dad, where are you? Dad, we’re looking for you everywhere. Called every hospital,” daughter Kayla Stepps said in a voicemail.
Stepps left her dad a voicemail begging to know where he is.
Forty-eight-year-old James Stepps was on his way to see his granddaughter on Feb. 27.
But he never made it.
“We’ve got so many people looking for him, so many people that love him, so many people that care,” Stepps said.
After calling local hospitals, jails, and even the coroner’s office, Jackie, James’ wife of 23 years, called a tow yard.
That’s where she found the Mitsubishi Eclipse James was driving.
It was considered abandoned on Rollingwood Road, just blocks away from his daughter’s house where he was headed.
His family is worried sick because they say it’s unlike James to disappear.
“In 23 years we’ve been together, we’ve spent maybe two or three nights apart,” Jackie said.
Keith Riggins has been friends with James for more than 30 years and says the same thing.
“That’s not Jim,” Riggins said. “Jim is always where he is supposed to be and usually his wife is with him or he’s going right back to where she’s at, so I found that kind of strange that happened.”
The family is holding on to hope.
“I got him a black onyx and diamond watch for Christmas,” Jackie said. “And I know he was wearing it. And I keep thinking if he had that on, maybe he would drop it off somewhere so that I would know, so I would know that he had been there. We can’t find him anywhere.”
Vallejo police are investigating this incident.
There are suspicious circumstances surrounding the location of the car and the condition it was in when it was discovered.
Police are not releasing much information on that.
They say it will compromise their investigation.