HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Three years after a Houston County man's disappearance, his family says they are incomplete.
"I say to everybody please help us, pray for him," the Mancilla family said in 2020.
They're still spreading this message three years later.
Jesus Mancilla-Velez was last seen Sept. 5, 2020.
That day, Mancilla Vélez was supposed to be headed to a trip with friends but never made it.
"We identified where his vehicle may have been located in Crawford County," GBI Special Agent Jerry Jones said.
Investigators found his 2015 Chevy Tahoe off of Rowland Road and Highway 42. A camera was found in the car that they say did not belong to Mancilla Vélez. Jones says they're still looking for new leads.
"We've followed on numerous investigative leads and sadly a lot of them have not carried us where we were hoping to be," Jones said.
The GBI and the family are once again asking for your help in finding Jesus.
Jones says they are looking for eyewitness reports from Sept. 5 and Sept. 6th from three years ago.
"Being able to say 'you know what, I did see him at this particular location. When I saw him he was with this individual or these individuals," Jones said.
Gisela Mancilla says the wait for answers makes their family feel hopeless, and they are asking everyone to continue supporting their family in the search and give any information they can remember from Sept. 5th.
Special Agent Jones says it could be the piece that brings this to an end.
"From time to time we do have those cases that are several years old where we are able to take that piece of information and be able to put the case together," Jones said.
He says he understands how this process can be hard for the family, and sometimes they are unable to share every detail with the family, but they are doing their best to give them information when they can.
They hope that by continuing to tell Jesus' story, things will come forward.
The Mancilla family says he's a good man with a huge heart. They say they continue to ask God to help them find Jesus and help endure the pain of his disappearance.
If you have any information you can call the GBI at 478-987-4545. You can also tip anonymously by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
Today, Lizbeth Mancilla shares this statement with 13WMAZ.
"On September 5, 2020, a member of our family, Jesús Mancilla Vélez, then 35 years old, disappeared without leaving a trace. That during the first year of investigation, several investigations were carried out from which we expected positive results but such did not occur. That in this period the researcher appointed to the case has been changed twice and, what we had believed had been progress, we now see its stagnant, not moving forward. Three years after the disappearance of Jesus, we have no other news or additional progress in the case. The last meeting with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was in August 2021 in Crawford County, under the direction of Ted Crosby and since then, under the current supervision of Jerry Jones, there have been no significant changes. We want the GBI and the community to remain engaged in our search for answers and justice for our loved one. We appreciate the continued support of the community in requesting more efforts from the authorities for the return of our beloved member of our family, Jesus, or to find clues or information that may shed light on his whereabouts."
MORE THAN A NUMBER
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More Than A Number is a Poynter-Stand Together award-winning project by Justin Baxley designed to help families of loved ones impacted by tragedy and trauma interact with journalists in a less intrusive way. Families are able to fill out a form about their family and also receive an in-depth guide on the next steps.
More Than A Number officially launched in August with a streaming special available on 13WMAZ+ for on-demand streaming. For any questions or concerns about More Than A Number, contact us here at the following email.