Name: Michael Allen Dillard
Age: 15 years old
Last seen: January 12, 2018
Location: Calvin, West Virginia
Status: Still Missing
Case Information
15-year-old Michael Allen Dillard was last seen in Calvin, West Virginia on January 12, 2018. He disappeared after running into the wooded area behind his house for seemingly no reason.
Background
Michael Dillard was born on December 13, 2002. He was living with his adoptive parents in Calvin, West Virginia at the time of his disappearance. He spoke daily with his older sister who lived only a few miles away.
Michael struggled with depression, a condition for which he required daily medication. On December 19, 2017, Michael returned home after having spent nearly a year in a hospital that specializes in adolescents with mental health issues.
Disappearance
On January 12, 2018, Michael Dillard got off the school bus around 3:15 pm and went with his mother to visit his sister. He was described as “acting kind of down” and was not very talkative that afternoon.
This was a striking contrast from two days prior when Michael was said to be in a “really good mood” and told his sister he was having “the best day of his life” after he had spent time with a friend and gone to church.
Around 4:30 pm, Michael and his mother left his sister’s home and traveled back to their home in Calvin, West Virginia.
Upon return, Michael helped carry wood pellets from his mother’s car into the house, but when he was done Michael suddenly ran off behind the house, seemingly for no reason, and into a wooded area shortly before 5:00 pm.
Michael Dillard never returned home and hasn’t been heard from since.
His mother immediately called his father and sister to come home to help look for him, and by 5:00 pm they had called 911. He was reported missing to the West Virginia State Police when his family couldn’t find him.
Investigation
Michael was reportedly seen by a neighbor between 4:30 – 5:00 pm on the day he went missing, walking along Tioga Road in Craigsville, West Virginia, but authorities could not verify the sighting.
On the day he disappeared there was a storm coming, and temperatures dropped to 22 degrees below zero that evening.
Michael disappeared without his cell phone, and only had $2 in his pockets. His orange jacket, which was not muddy nor ripped, was found approximately 300 yards away from his home about a week and a half after his disappearance.
The jacket was found by Michael’s dog in an area that had previously been searched, in a direction opposite of where search dogs originally tracked his scent. Due to severe weather it may have been covered with snow during the initial search.
The jacket is the only piece of evidence that has ever been found in the search for Michael.
Whereabouts
Police found no evidence for foul play in Michael Dillard’s disappearance. A $3,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his discovery.
The circumstances of Michael Dillard’s disappearance remain unclear and his case is currently classified as missing. His case remains unsolved.
Appearance
Physical Description:
White male born on December 13, 2002. Michael has brown hair, hazel eyes, stands 5’5 tall, and weighs 133 pounds.
Distinctive Physical Features:
Michael has a scar above his left eye, a quarter-sized scar on top of his right hand and cutting scars on his arms. He left behind the prescription glasses he usually wears for his poor vision.
Clothing and accessories:
Michael was last seen wearing a nylon maroon t- shirt, red and black Deadpool socks, red Nike shoes, and blue jeans. He was wearing a 3” silver cross on a silver chain and may have been carrying a teen Bible and a pen light with him.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Michael Dillard please contact the POLICE OFFICE at West Virginia State Police at (304) 872-0800. Agency Case Number: 201800401
Resources & Further Information
Michael Allen Dillard #MP42061 – National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
Michael Allen Dillard – National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Bring Michael Dillard Home – Facebook
News & Media Links
Officers still unaware of whereabouts of missing Nicholas County teenager – The Register-Herald 01/2018
Fifteen-year-old Michael Dillard remains missing despite ground, dive, and helicopter searches – NBC News 03/2018
Videos & Flyers
How well was the area checked / searched ? .
Are the siblings biological and adopted ? .
Is there anybody else in the family that has the same mental condition ? .
Was the adoption of Michael because of his condition , and that the biological parents were not able to handle the situation ? .
Did he attend a special school ? .
How often does he go into the wooded area on his own ? .
When he ran into the wooded area , did he not have a ” Flash – Back ” , of were he might have lost something there , and tried to find it ? .
How much older or younger is his sister to him ? .
Is his reasoning capability that of his age or that of a younger age group ?.
Unless I am missing something , given his mental capabilities , why would he not be consider as foul – play as some people would take advantage of a person with his condition , or not know how to deal with this situation , and not get involved , out of choice? .
The place that he went to for treatment , for how long , and could something of happened to him at the medical facility ? .