Car found crashed after man vanished leaving for work; family ‘searching up and down’

SPRINGFIELD — A family is struggling not knowing where their loved one is after their brother and son disappeared more than a week ago in Springfield.

As News Center 7 previously reported, Springfield police said they are searching for Justin Smith, 28, who has been missing since Jan. 29.

>> RELATED: A man vanished after leaving for his job; he hasn’t been seen in a week

News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson spoke with Smith’s family on Wednesday as they continue to search for him, hoping to find him either dead or alive.

“We’ve been searching up and down Springfield; today is day eight. We have been nonstop (for) 14 hours a day, even if we just got home and we get a call, we’re jumping up (and) we’re going,” Amanda Ovando, Smith’s sister, said.

Ovando, along with Smith’s mother, cousin, best friend, and girlfriend have searched all over Springfield for clues as to where he is.

They’ve looked in people’s homes, woods, parks, trash cans, and on bike trails. They’ve even dug up fresh soil they’ve seen to make sure his body isn’t buried underneath it.

“It’s exhausting, mentally exhausting,” Amanda Stump, Smith’s girlfriend, said.

Still, there is no sign of him.

>> Missing 14-year-old girl’s backpack found after screaming heard; large search underway

He was last seen driving a Nissan Rouge rental car.

“The car was found wrecked on the 30th (near) Wittenberg,” Ovando said.

The crash is part of what leads the family to believe he could be dead because disappearing without a trace isn’t like him.

“He wouldn’t do my mom like that. He went missing exactly six years after my other brother’s death, so it’s up to the day,” Ovando said.

Springfield police said they are following every tip they get about where Smith is. Anyone who has seen Smith or knows anything about his disappearance is asked to contact Springfield police at 937-324-7716, or call your local law enforcement agency.

©2024 Cox Media Group