the cold case disappearance of Tristen 'Buddy' Myers - Roseboro, North Carolina - October 5, 2000
About Tristen 'Buddy' and his disappearance
Tristen was born on July 16, 1996 in Ocean Springs, Biloxi, Mississippi. Because his father was unknown and his mother was only 15 years old, the little one was immediately in the care of his grandparents, Robert and Sally Myers. They lived in Metairie, Louisiana at the time. Four years later, however, they could no longer care for Tristen because Sally had become ill. With pain in their hearts, the couple decided to transfer the care to John Myers, Robert's brother, and his wife Donna.
Forming Problems
They lived in Roseboro, North Carolina. From the beginning in August 2000, John started calling the child Buddy, and it became his nickname. After a short time, Tristen, now Buddy, began to develop emotional problems. Allegedly he even killed one of the family dogs. His behavior became so worrying that John and Donna had him examined by psychiatric specialists. According to his great uncle and great aunt, Tristen suffered from many fits of anger. He appeared to hit other children and bite himself. The specialists quickly concluded that the child was emotionally and psychologically underdeveloped. It became apparent that Buddy was having difficulty speaking, and this prevented a full diagnosis. The boy probably suffered from ADD (Attention deficit disorder).
Disappearance
A month after joining his new foster parents, Buddy walked away from home. He was later found by one of his neighbors at a nearby farm a mile away and was brought back home by him. No one knew that less than three days later, on October 5, Tristen would set out on his own again. This time he took two of the family's dogs with him. His great-aunt was taking a nap at the time and didn't notice anything. Panic arose when the family realized that the child had disappeared again without a trace, and it soon became clear that this time it might not end well.
Authorities were alerted and launched a ten-acre search of the vast area surrounding Myers' home. Many volunteers offered their help. The thick woods along Microwave Tower Road were completely combed, together with the adjacent wooded area. Police sniffer dogs followed Tristen's scent to the edge of a pound. Because the young child could not swim, there were major concerns that he had fallen into the water. The pound was drained but the boy was not found there. In the period that followed, the police continued to search for Buddy. In doing so, they drained more pounds and expanded the search area. Every effort was made, but there was no trace of the boy.
Noble hope
For a moment in April 2003, it seemed that Tristen had been found. A boy had been admitted to an Illinois hospital who showed strong similarities to the missing boy. Hospital staff noticed that the boy brought in was very unkempt and must have been wearing the same clothes for days. A strange figure claimed to be his father, but the employees did not trust it and called the police. Tristen's mother, Raven, who was an exotic dancer at the time and was trying to get her life on track, said she wanted to claim custody if the child turned out to be Tristen. However, a DNA test determined that it was not him. The child turned out to be Timothy Trandel, and was not the son of the falsely claiming father at all. He was eventually safely placed in foster care with his aunt.
Authorities don't give up
Police are still looking for Tristen "Buddy" Myers. According to them, the boy may have wandered away from home himself and was kidnapped by someone not much later. Another theory is that he fell into the water somewhere where authorities can't find him. Over the years, the police have received many sightings from people who mistakenly thought they had recognized the boy. In the hope that someone will recognize him properly, the following aging photos were distributed..
How the family fared
Raven, Tristen's biological mother, tragically died at the age of 23 after jumping from a moving truck in March 2004. Robert and Sally Myers have also both died since the disappearance. Unfortunately, John Myers is also no longer alive and passed away in January 2015 at the age of 67. According to the latest reports, Donna is still alive and lives on Microwave Tower Road.
Information and Tips
Just like the police, we do not give up and hope that there are people who know more about this mystery. Do you think you have answers? Do you know where the now adult Tristen is, or what happened to him all those years ago? Let us know now (completely anonymously) via the tip form below. We ensure that your information reaches the police in the right place. Don't hesitate and get in touch now.