Jacob Cabinaw's Family says he's missing, but the search has slowed.
Sandra Cranson has not seen her brother since the end of March. That's when 31 year old Jacob Cabinaw disappeared from his family's life.
Diana asks, "Do you consider him a missing person?"
Cranson says, "Absolutely he is a missing person. It's not within our family to walk away from our responsibilities, to walk away from each other."
But investigators are considering the possibility that Cabinaw did just walk away from his children, his family, his job and his National Guard Duty.
The trail of clues led officers from Traverse City to Sweetwater, Texas. That's where officers saw surveillance video of someone who looked like Cabinaw, on his own and unharmed. Captain Dave Meachum with the Grand Traverse Sheriff's Office says people do it all the time.
Diana says, "Do you think he'd just walk away?" Cranson replies, "I don't."
Captain Meachum says that's one of the hardest parts of missing person's investigations. While the family may consider someone missing, that doesn't mean the person thinks of himself as missing.
But when it comes to looking for a missing person, Captain Meachum says the only rule is that each case is different. How the officers choose to start, conduct, and end their investigation depends on things like age, history and situation.
In the Cabinaw case he says they will follow any new leads, if and when they get any.
Crason says, "I think the investigation... they've exhausted all of their leads. There's not much else they can do in the Grand Traverse County area."
In the meantime the family is turning to the social media community. The find Jacob Cabinaw Facebook page has nearly seven thousand followers. Some people have even contacted law enforcement after seeing someone who looks like him.
His family holds out hope that someone will be Jacob.
Cranson says, "It kills me that I can't help him right now. It's hard to sleep at night thinking here I am, comfortable in my bed and does he have a pillow? Is he hungry? He was last seen in Texas. Is he in the desert? Did some one leave him there? I don't know what else there is to do."
Here's something else to consider, because Cabinaw didn't report for reserve duty for the National Guard he is considered AWOL. But his sister says other then checking at home, they won't look for him. And there is no lead investigator in Texas following up leads there.
There's a lot more to this story and a lot more red flags that stand out for the family. Right now they are just sad and frustrated.
What would you want done if your loved one went missing? How would you want the search handled? What should be done with this case? Leave your comments below.
Here's a link to the Find Jacob Cabinaw Facebook page so you can see the latest on the search and plans for an upcoming candle light vigil.
