Milwaukee man missing, vigil held 1 year after disappearance
MILWAUKEE - After more than a year without answers, family and friends of missing Milwaukee man Ryan Withee aren't giving up on the search.
They held a vigil Saturday night, April 15. His mother said she thinks he's dead, but with no proof of that, she and her family are left without closure.
"The worst part is not knowing," said Dorliene Lanctot, Withee's mother.
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It's not just Withee that's missing, but the pieces of what happened. Lanctot said just as memorable as her firstborn, whom she shares a birthday with, are details of the last time she heard from him.
"He went missing April 4, he reached out to me April 4 – 3:18 p.m. – at work. I’ll never forget it," she said.
Vigil for Ryan Withee
Lanctot said Withee, who was 36 years old at the time, was confused – telling her he was put on new medication.
"He did suffer from addiction, he fought and wanted to be sober. My son, all he wanted was to be happy," said Lanctot.
Lanctot said, in the days after, Withee's cellphone and backpack were found in separate locations more than a mile away.
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"I felt something within me that he’s no longer here," she said.
Since then, Lanctot has filed a missing person's report. A year later, answers and her son are nowhere to be found.
"I try to tell police, I know my son. He’s not going to just disappear, especially with his cellphone and backpack in two different locations, that’s not my son," she said.
Ryan Withee
Wherever Withee is, he has a place in his family's hearts.
"He's not forgotten," Withee's brother said.
"I don’t want him to be forgotten as just another missing person and never to be found," said Lanctot.
"I hope everyone can remember Ryan as someone who only wanted everyone else happy in life. He tried his best," his sister said.
Dorliene Lanctot
Lanctot said the message of the vigil is to be vigilant.
"Let your kids know. Go out in twos. Don’t go out by yourself, even men," she said. "Just be careful."
She's pleading for anyone who knows anything about what happened to her son to speak up.
FOX6 News reached out to police for an update on the case, but did not hear back by Saturday night. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers.