Warner Robins man missing for over a decade, family still searching for answers

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Old family photos bring back memories for the Hartley family. 

For Jesse Hartley's relatives, June 2007 will forever be etched in their minds as the last time they saw him. 

"One month, two months, then it was like a year, and then it was five years, and we were like okay this time has gone by really fast, but we haven't heard anything," said Jesse's sister, Sarah Skinner. 

Carolyn Hartley, Jesse's mom, filed a missing persons report with the Warner Robins Police Department in November 2007, after not seeing or hearing from Jesse since the summer. 

Since then it's been a 12-year-long investigation into his disappearance, but still no answers. 

"'Did somebody hurt him? Did somebody kill him?' I mean those things go through your head, and 'why what happened?' The constant unknowing is what is the hardest thing," Carolyn said.

The Hartley family assumed Jesse's disappearance was voluntary, but after so many years of silence to family and friends, the possibility of foul play comes to mind. 

"I mean after 12 years, that's kind of the only thing you can think of," Skinner said.

As the time continues to pass, they hold onto the hope of finding answers and getting closure. 

"Just maybe somebody, somewhere will remember something. Maybe there's another piece to the puzzle that we don't know about, because people don't know this happened," Skinner said. 

Detective Justin Clark with WRPD says they are still actively interviewing people that knew Jesse. He says he took over the case after the previous investigator was promoted. 

If anyone has details on Jesse Hartley's whereabouts, they're asked to call Clark at (478)-302-5384.

He was entered into the Georgia Crime Information Center as a missing person. The listing gives his information out to all law enforcement agencies.

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