Over the past decade Don Ross has done everything he can to bring his son, Jesse, back home.
The 19-year-old from Belton vanished while attending a Model UN conference with his UMKC classmates in Chicago.
RELATED | Nine years later, family continues search for missing Belton man, who disappeared in Chicago
Don Ross told Jesse to call the day he was set to leave the “Windy City.”
“Instead of Jesse it was one of the sponsors and he informed us that he did not know where Jesse was. They were looking for him, they were packing everyone up and getting ready to leave and they would let us know more as soon as they could,” Don Ross said.
Surveillance cameras in the hotel lobby captured the moment Jesse exited a conference room in the early morning hours of November 21, 2006.
His father said the case remains open, despite any leads.
“They’re kind of waiting for someone to bring them something that they can work with,” Don Ross said.
Six months after Jesse disappeared so did Kara Kopetsky. Her ex-boyfriend Kylr Yust is currently sitting in jail charged with burning the car of Jessica Runions, who was last seen 70 days ago.
RELATED | Family asks for help to bring Jessica Runions home
“The first few days of a missing persons case are the most important especially if that person is at risk and the police need to be on it and they need to be on it quickly,” Don Ross said.
41 Action News learned this week that KCPD is tweaking their procedures to add a protocol for dealing with missing and runaway juveniles.
According to federal law, the missing persons unit needs to be notified within two hours of when police get a report of missing child. For those parents, Ross says this: “Hang in there and have a positive attitude, reach out to the resources around you.”
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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com
