Name: Michael R Montijo
Age: 55 years old
Last Seen: January 26, 2020
Location: Ridgeville, South Carolina
Status: Still missing
Case Information
55 year old Michael Montijo was last seen in Ridgeville, South Carolina on January 26, 2020. He was last seen near Camp Buddy Road and may be suffering from medical issues.
Disappearance
At approximately 6:30 am on January 26, 2020, Michael Montijo was last seen at his home near Campy Buddy Road in Ridgeville, South Carolina.
When his wife returned home from work that evening, Michael was nowhere to be found. She reported him missing to the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office the following day.
Investigation
Michael’s wife April says nothing seemed out of the ordinary on the morning Michael went missing. She left for work around 8:00 am, and says he was in the bedroom lying on the bed when she left.
When she got home from work that evening Michael was nowhere to be found, though his car, cell phone, wallet, keys, and chewing tobacco were all left behind at home.
His family says it’s uncharacteristic of him to go missing, and that he wouldn’t have just walked off and left everything.
According to his wife, Mike was an alcoholic and had recently tried to stop drinking. The withdrawals seemed to have made him experience hallucinations, and she believes he may have been delirious when he left.
One witness claims to have seen Mike at a nearby convenience store on the night of January 27th or early morning hours of the 28th.
They say he was purchasing tobacco and other items, and got into a gold Buick with another person. This sighting has not been confirmed; authorities contacted the owner of the vehicle, but they claim to not know who Michael is.
There has been no activity on Michael’s bank account or credit reports since he went missing.
Appearance
White male with salt and pepper color hair and brown eyes. Michael stands 5’5 tall and weighs 165 pounds. He had a goatee at the time of his disappearance.
He has the letters “MM” tattooed on his left hand, and a panther tattoo on his left forearm.
Clothing & Accessories:
Michael was possibly last seen wearing a camouflage military style jacket and blue jeans.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Michael Montijo please contact the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office at (843) 782-4420. You can also submit an anonymous tip online.
Agency case number 20-00381.
Resources & Further Information
Michael R Montijo – NamUs
Michael Montijo Left His Ridgeville, South Carolina Home on January 26, 2020, and Family Hasn’t Heard From Him Since – NBC News
More likely the victim of a homicide. Which the Sheriff’s Dept. doesn’t care to look into. This case was investigated by an experienced homicide Detective who concluded that he most likely was murdered- Sheriff’s Dept. isn’t interested- apparently it is better to list as a “missing person” than spend to the effort to investigate it as a crime.
Don’t know what kind of investigation there was. No detectives visited his workplace which I would imagine to be a standard practice. Maybe he told someone there that he was having problems. Maybe he told someone there that he was thinking about going on walkabout. If the police didn’t take this basic step, what else didn’t they do. I worked with Mike. As it turns out, he did not say anything to his coworkers and we were as baffled as anyone when he disappeared. I do wonder about the investigation though. Shouldn’t we have been asked?
It’ is strange that this issue with the local law enforcement has happened. It makes me question as to whether the wife and someone high in the police department have some kind of relationship. It was stated that his wife was from there and they moved to the family farm. Additionally, it was convenient that his phone was not on him. That is one thing most people have with them if they go anywhere. No sign of struggle or anything in the house supposedly. I wonder if there was any evidence still in the house. I would love to see phone records for his phone and her phone as well. I wonder if his sister’s congressman could communicate with a congressman in South Carolina to have SLED do an investigation. If there is suspicion of him being abducted due to any national security knowledge he may know about nuclear subs maybe NCIS can be involved? I just don’t know if every possible solution has been utilized or discussed.
Classmate at ECPI Charleston, SC Campus
Navy retiree? Is the US Navy still paying his pension? This man left his home and his belongings, as well as his car, to get into a Buick with other people to then go to a convenience store? This sounds very odd. What level of interrogation was his wife subjected to? What kind of insurance policies were in play here? What would be a motive for a random murder of this man? Something isn’t adding up.