Last Seen: Family seeks answers after Waycross man went missing in 2017

WAYCROSS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Nearly a decade after Austin James Wise disappeared in Ware County, his family is still searching for answers.

Wise was 24 years old when he was last seen in May 2017. His mother, Lana Hall, said the circumstances of his disappearance have never sat right with her.

Hall and Wise’s aunt, Shelby Newman, are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Reported missing after time at Griffin Road home

Wise was reported missing May 28, 2017, after spending time at a home along Griffin Road in Waycross.

Hall said the last time she saw her son was three days earlier. She said Wise asked her to pick him up after an encounter at a home, where he told her someone had pulled a gun on him.

Hall said she picked him up that Thursday night. During the drive, she said, Wise asked her to stop at another home, where he said he would wait for his father to pick him up.

“And he said, I’m going to stay here, my dad is on his way. He’s going to come pick me up from here… Well, he ended up staying there. And that was the last time I saw him,” Hall said.

Family questions initial response

Wise’s family said they have spent years trying to piece together what happened next. They question the initial response and believe there are still leads that deserve attention.

Hall said her son had never disappeared without telling her where he was going.

“Austin was a mama’s boy. I talked to him every day. If he would go, he would tell me, ‘Mom, I’m going, you know, so and so, I’ll be home later.’ He never just left,” Hall said.

“He really had a good heart. Never met a stranger. He was always smiling and joking,” Hall said.

Family offers reward

Newman said the family is not giving up. The family wants anyone who knows something, no matter how long it has been, to speak up.

“Just please come forward,” Newman said.

The family is offering a $10,000 reward for any information.

Anyone with information can contact the Ware County Sheriff’s Office at 912-287-4327 or its tip line at 912-287-8477.