VA VA - John William Wingler Sr., 74, Whitetop, 11 December 2015

[frenchiemomma]

Dear Websleuths,

John was last seen in his hometown of Whitetop in Virginia on December 11, 2015.
He left in his 2002 Red Ford Ranger (Extended Cab) with plate/tag number XDK-1981.
Until this day no one has seen or heard from him.

He is listed in namus: Missing Person Case
I've included the poster that the "Aware Foundation" made.

His family hopes that by posting his dissapearance here, some tips might come in.
I had initially linked him to this UID: Unidentified Person Case. And discusses that in this thread: FL - FL - St Petersburg, Skeletal Remains in War Memorial Park, Mar'16

After hoping I had a match for the John Doe in FL and John William Wingler Sr. I heard from his daughter in law that the fractures/plate in the arm that the John Doe had, was not the case with her father in law. As he was not yet listed here on Websleuths, I got her permission to add his case.

Thank you so much for your time and help

 

[doodles1211]

Dear Websleuths,

John was last seen in his hometown of Whitetop in Virginia on December 11, 2015.
He left in his 2002 Red Ford Ranger (Extended Cab) with plate/tag number XDK-1981.
Until this day no one has seen or heard from him.

He is listed in namus: Missing Person Case
I've included the poster that the "Aware Foundation" made.

His family hopes that by posting his dissapearance here, some tips might come in.
I had initially linked him to this UID: Unidentified Person Case. And discusses that in this thread: FL - FL - St Petersburg, Skeletal Remains in War Memorial Park, Mar'16

After hoping I had a match for the John Doe in FL and John William Wingler Sr. I heard from his daughter in law that the fractures/plate in the arm that the John Doe had, was not the case with her father in law. As he was not yet listed here on Websleuths, I got her permission to add his case.

Thank you so much for your time and help

Do you know if his vehicle was ever found?

 

[frenchiemomma]

Hi Doodles1211,

As far as I Know and could find. His car has never been found.

 

[frenchiemomma]

Here are some articles I could find:

- Search goes on for missing Whitetop man | GalaxGazette.com
- Whitetop man still not found, authorities say | IndependenceDeclaration.com
- Man still missing more than a year later
- Man missing from Whitetop, Va. since Nov. 12

 

[iulia]

John William Wingler Sr. – The Charley Project

John William Wingler Sr.

Missing Since 11/12/2015
Missing From Whitetop, Virginia
Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race White
Age 74 years old
Height and Weight 5'9, 145 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A gray t-shirt, a blue silk and nylon coat with white trim and a white lining, blue jeans and a yellow gold wedding band.
Medical Conditions Wingler has a heart condition that requires medication which he doesn't have with him.
Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Graying red hair, blue eyes. Wingler has a scar over his left ribcage from a knife wound.

Details of Disappearance
Wingler was last seen at his residence in Whitetop, Virginia during the early morning hours of November 12, 2015. He has never been heard from again. His vehicle, a red 2002 Ford Ranger extended cab pickup truck with the Virginia license plate number XDK-1981, disappeared with him; a photo of the truck is posted with this case summary.

Wingler is considered to be in danger because he doesn't have his heart medicine with him. His case remains unsolved.

 

[meanmaryjean]

I suspect he and the truck are pretty close to home and in the water somewhere.

 

[Luckyzmom]

Will pray for you John William and family. I hope you can be found and get home.

 

[MNVikings]

Hi all! I found an article on swvatoday.com dated 1/23/2023 titled, “Whitetop man’s disappearance still unsolved after seven years.” I would share the hyperlink, but I don’t know how to do it on my cell phone.

Highlights: asked a relative the day before his disappearance how to remove his girlfriend from the deed to his home. She’s always cooperated with investigators, and investigators could not find any motive to make homicide possible. She would have needed help to hide him somewhere, but she didn’t know any of the locals. It doesn’t say anything about her relatives, friends, how her and John met, or how long they knew each other. He put her name on the deed after he purchased the home. She has since passed away.

John’s drivers license was left at home.

John confided in his son, John Jr., that he had suicidal thoughts at some point, and if he was to ever follow through on it, he would go to the top of Whitetop Mountain. John Jr went there for a look and couldn’t find the truck.

Neighbors saw no vehicles at John Sir’s home the night before or morning of.

And finally, in April, 2019, John Sr.’s truck was discovered by a deer hunter in the woods, 2 miles from his home near a Christmas tree farm, where it “crashed” into a tree. Looking at the picture provided of the “accident” scene…it was crashed into Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. Maybe it knocked a tree forward so it wasn’t picked up in the photo, but you could see a tree top barely higher than the truck. The truck was angled on a downward slope, so that gravity would help keep the passenger door open. His belongings included his wallet, glasses, pocket knife, and a cordless home phone were scattered around in the ground.

Couldn’t help but be reminded of Don Hightower’s case…elderly gentleman, close to home, vehicle discovered by a hunter. John’s remains have yet to be discovered though. Hopefully he’s found soon.

 

[Pennysmom1]

Hi all! I found an article on swvatoday.com dated 1/23/2023 titled, “Whitetop man’s disapparance still unsolved after seven years.” I would share the hyperlink, but I don’t know how to do it on my cell phone.

Highlights: asked a relative the day before his disappearance how to remove his girlfriend from the deed to his home. She’s always cooperated with investigators, and investigators could not find any motive to make homicide possible. She would have needed help to hide him somewhere, but she didn’t know any of the locals. It doesn’t say anything about her relatives, friends, how her and John met, or how long they knew each other. He put her name on the deed after he purchased the home. She has since passed away.

John’s drivers license was left at home.

John confided in his son, John Jr., that he had suicidal thoughts at some point, and if he was to ever follow through on it, he would go to the top of Whitetop Mountain. John Jr went there for a look and couldn’t find the truck.

Neighbors saw no vehicles at John Sir’s home the night before or morning of.

And finally, in April, 2019, John Sr.’s truck was discovered by a deer hunter in the woods, 2 miles from his home near a Christmas tree farm, where it “crashed” into a tree. Looking at the picture provided of the “accident” scene…it was crashed into Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. Maybe it knocked a tree forward so it wasn’t picked up in the photo, but you could see a tree top barely higher than the truck. The truck was angled on a downward slope, so that gravity would help keep the passenger door open. His belongings included his wallet, glasses, pocket knife, and a cordless home phone were scattered around in the ground.

Couldn’t help but be reminded of Don Hightower’s case…elderly gentleman, close to home, vehicle discovered by a hunter. John’s remains have yet to be discovered though. Hopefully he’s found soon.

Jan 25, 2023

Whitetop man's disappearance still unsolved after 7 years

In early November 2015, John Wingler Jr. snapped a photo of his 74-year-old father as he sat on the front porch of his Whitetop home.

swvatoday.com

 

[Pennysmom1]

Oct 30, 2023

Family petitions court to declare missing man dead

The family of a Whitetop man missing for almost eight years is petitioning the court to have him declared legally dead – unless he presents himself in court this week.

swvatoday.com

John William Wingler Sr. – The Charley Project

• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Graying red hair, blue eyes. Wingler has a scar over his left ribcage from a knife wound.

<<Details of Disappearance​

Wingler was last seen at his residence, a moible home on Dolinger Road in Whitetop, Virginia, during the early morning hours of November 12, 2015. He has never been heard from again.

The only thing searchers found was a single house slipper of Wingler's near a ditch line in his front yard. The slipper's mate was inside the house. There were strong winds and it's possible the slipper was blown to where it was found in his yard.

According to Wingler's family, he didn't leave home much and usually when he did it was to go buy food or alcohol at Whitetop Food & Gas, a store about half a mile from his residence.

His vehicle, a red 2002 Ford Ranger extended cab pickup truck with the Virginia license plate number XDK-1981, disappeared with him; a photo of the truck is posted with this case summary. It was found in the woods two miles from his home by a deer hunter in 2019. It had gone off an old logging road and crashed into a tree. The passenger side door was open and some of Wingler's personal belongings were scattered on the ground. There was no indication of his whereabouts.

Prior to his disappearance, Wingler had added his girlfriend's name to the deed of his house, but apparently he'd changed his mind about this because he asked a relative for advice on how to remove her name from the deed. The girlfriend, who is now deceased, was cooperative with investigatiors and hasn't been named as a suspected.

Wingler is considered to be in danger because he doesn't have his heart medicine with him. His case remains unsolved.>>