ORIGINAL ARTICLE, PHOTOS, AND MORE INFO CAN BE FOUND HERE:
http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Former-Charlotte-city-worker-missing-for-more-than-a-year-94608069.html
by MICHELLE BOUDIN / NewsChannel 36
E-mail Michelle: MBoudin@WCNC.com
NewsChannel 36
Posted on May 21, 2010 at 4:06 PM
Updated yesterday at 4:15 PM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The family of a former Charlotte city employee who has been missing for more than a year is asking the public for information on the case.
Standing before reporters on Friday, a tearful mother pleaded for help.
"I have that hope that somebody's going to see this and they're going to say, 'I need to call,'" said Sandy Hieronymous.
Jeffrey Hieronymous, 38, was last seen around midnight, Feb. 26, 2009, when he went to smoke a cigarette outside his home on Chesterfield Drive.
"It's very unusual. It's not like Jeffrey to just pick up and leave," said Detective Dave Osorio with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. "He left behind his home. He's a homeowner. Left behind his car keys, wallet, ID, all his possessions."
Investigators searched nearby woods and a creek in the Plaza Midwood area but found nothing. Helicopters searched from overhead while K-9s combed the ground.
"It's just baffling, totally baffling for us," said Sandy Hieronymous. "I think, for me, not knowing if Jeff is dead or alive is agonizing."
A civil engineer, Jeffrey Hieronymous' parents say he had just been laid off from his job with the city but they can't imagine him just disappearing.
"We just don't know and that's why we need someone's help," said Sandy Hieronymous.
The family is relying on faith and hope that someone will come forward with answers.
"Some days I have really bad days, and I think he's just not alive. And then other days there's hope," said Hieronymous.
Anyone with information should call the CMPD tip line at 704-432-TIPS or the Kristen Foundation for missing adults at 704-996-5066.
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LAST UPDATED: May 22, 2010