AL AL - Ronald Dumas, 37, Huntsville, 15 Dec 2024

[tarabull]

I'm just reading up on this case and have likely missed some things but here's what I've put together so far as to the timeline.

Sun, Dec 15 about 10 pm - Per police report, Ronald was out with people on Sunday, but his family and friends don't know who they were. The person who filed the MP report said they last spoke to him around this time and that other people were audible in the background.

Mon, Dec 16, 6:08 a.m. - His cell phone was traveling west on I-40 past mile marker 133 toward Jackson.

Mon, Dec 16, 6:30 a.m.- TN Hwy Patrol were dispatched about an abandoned vehicle and found his car on the side of I-40 near mile marker 133 close to Camden TN about 9 min later. The car was impounded the same day.

Mon, Dec 16 just after 7 a.m. - Huntsville police said his phone was on in a location just outside of Jackson TN.

Tues, Dec 17, 9:48 a.m. - The missing persons report was filed.

Wed, Dec 18 - TN Hwy Patrol discovered the vehicle belonged to Ronald and dispatched troopers to search the area where it was found. Huntsville PD learned the car was impounded in TN and entered Ronald in the NCIC database. They also attempted to call his cell phones, which were not on.

Thu, Dec 19 - Huntsville PD said they sent requests for the location history of Ronald's cell phone to his service providers.

Fri, Dec 20 - THP state troopers, a helicopter, two TBI agents were sent to search for more information. An investigator examined Dumas’ car and found that it likely had broken down before being abandoned.

HPD is asking those who were with Dumas on the night of Dec 15. to come forward and provide information to authorities.

https://whnt.com/news/huntsville/missing-huntsville-real-estate-agent-was-still-traveling-west-after-car-was-found-cell-location-history-shows/

Huntsville police seeking unknown people who last saw missing realtor Ronnie Dumas

“Ronnie doesn’t just walk away from family. That is not who he is. Something is wrong," the mother of his children told a TV station.

www.al.com

Thanks for putting this together @PommyMommy

Nothing: he had more than 1 cell phone FWIW

Snipped...
...After the missing persons report was filed on Tuesday, Huntsville police entered Dumas in a National Crime Information Center database and attempted to call his cell phones, which were not on.

 

[tarabull]

^*Noting:

 

[borndem]

Sometimes, no news is bad news...

Hoping not in this case.

 

[borndem]

Double post -- please excuse.

 

[Caring1]

Mr. Dumas’ case has been added to NamUs.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

 

[Sherlock1842]

Noting:

During the search, a cellphone was found, it is unknown at this time if it belonged to Dumas.

We actually found 2 cell phones, only one had been found at the time of the interview. Law enforcement was very accommodating and came both times to take them for testing and preserve the chain of custody in case they are relevant.

 

[Sherlock1842]

this report indicates LE believe his car broke down. I wonder if they have been able to access a key to determine if that belief is accurate at this point. I am imagining he did not abandon his car with keys in it so my question is do they now KNOW if his car broke down or if it was simply abandoned on the side of the road by Dumas or some unknown individual?

OP: “this report indicates LE believe his car broke down. I wonder if they have been able to access a key to determine if that belief is accurate at this point. I am imagining he did not abandon his car with keys in it so my question is do they now KNOW if his car broke down or if it was simply abandoned on the side of the road by Dumas or some unknown individual?”

I learned yesterday at the search that the key was found in the car, although it wasn’t clear if it was in the ignition.

 

[Sherlock1842]

DEC 27, 2024

Search continues for missing Huntsville realtor

The family of a missing Huntsville realtor is asking for help from the community in the form of tips and help on the search.

www.waff.com

Dumas family spokesperson Troy Styles says law enforcement is working hard to bring home Dumas but the family is getting desperate.

“The family is tired. The family is really going through a lot since the holidays have been around, there are children of Mr. Dumas in this case and this is their first Christmas without their father and they have certainly noticed his absence,” said Styles.

I met some of the family at the search yesterday and they are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. They aren’t angry or talking about justice or vengeance, their sole concern is finding Ronnie. I truly wish I could have met them under better circumstances.

 

[Sherlock1842]

Occam’s razor (and my inner devil’s advocate) would suggest there is a simple answer to this mystery. What are the chances that Mr. Dumas just had enough of his life and wanted to “disappear”? I know his family does not believe that, no family wants to believe that. But he had a lot of responsibilities for someone so young and the pressure that results could make anybody break after a while.

I will reply to my own post: I met some of his family as well as the mother of one of his children yesterday at the search and I’m convinced that he did not disappear of his own accord. He has a good relationship with both mothers of his children and is widely regarded as a responsible father, coworker, and friend.

 

[Sherlock1842]

Thanks for putting this together @PommyMommy

Nothing: he had more than 1 cell phone FWIW

Snipped...
...After the missing persons report was filed on Tuesday, Huntsville police entered Dumas in a National Crime Information Center database and attempted to call his cell phones, which were not on.

That’s true, he did have 2 phones, I believe one was for work or something. If he did meet with foul play, it’s possible the perpetrators got rid of one phone but didn’t know about the other phone, which may explain why a phone kept pinging after the car was abandoned.

 

[starlightstarbright]

Is there any information about what he was actually doing before he disappeared? I feel like this is really important but it’s not clear (maybe because that information has intentionally not been shared publicly). Meeting old friends for dinner? Showing someone around a property he is marketing? Meeting up with someone to buy something from Facebook marketplace? Out drinking at a bar alone? These various scenarios, if we knew which was most likely, lead us down potentially quite different paths.

JMO but I get the feeling maybe he wasn’t responsible for either his car or his phone going on those travels.

 

[Sherlock1842]

Is there any information about what he was actually doing before he disappeared? I feel like this is really important but it’s not clear (maybe because that information has intentionally not been shared publicly). Meeting old friends for dinner? Showing someone around a property he is marketing? Meeting up with someone to buy something from Facebook marketplace? Out drinking at a bar alone? These various scenarios, if we knew which was most likely, lead us down potentially quite different paths.

JMO but I get the feeling maybe he wasn’t responsible for either his car or his phone going on those travels.

I agree with you. No one - not one single person - has come forward saying they were with him that night, and that could be very significant as they could have been the one(s) who dumped the car and had the cell phone. Whatever did happen, it’s likely that Ronnie did not leave the car there. Even if it had broken down, why would he leave the key in it? The police have confirmed that it hadn’t run out of gas but have not confirmed whether or not it had “broken down.”

 

[PommyMommy]

Thank you for all the updates, @Sherlock1842!

 

[mlhenn]

Mr. Dumas’ case has been added to NamUs.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Circumstances of Disappearance
On December 15, 2024, "Ronnie" Dumas Jr. left the area of Laurelwood Lane in Huntsville, AL and has not returned. He spoke to a loved one the evening of December 15, 2024 around 10pm. His vehicle, a black 2021 Hyundai Palisade with Alabama license plate 47AUW1E was located on December 16, 2024 at 6:30am abandoned on the inside shoulder of I-40 near mile marker 133 in Waverly, Tennessee. If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of Ronald Leslie Dumas Jr., please contact Investigator Stephen Gibbs with the Huntsville Police Department at (256) 427-5448.

 

[Marysmith]

Thank you for all the updates, @Sherlock1842!

Yes, thank you, and I'm sure his loved ones are very touched and grateful that you volunteered to help them! And it sounds like a fruitful search!

 

[mlhenn]

Family of missing Huntsville realtor ups reward after search yields no results

The family of a missing Huntsville realtor is pleading for answers from the public. They've also increased the reward after a community search this weekend didn’t yield any results.

www.waaytv.com

Dec 31

The family of a missing Huntsville realtor is pleading for answers from the public. They've also increased the reward after a community search this weekend didn’t yield any results.

The family spokesperson, Troy Styles, says Ronald Dumas’s family upped the reward Tuesday. It’s now set at $4,000 for any information that could lead to his whereabouts.

 

[mlhenn]

Search Ramping Up For Missing Man

Click here to view this video from waaytv.com.

www.waaytv.com

 

[Occam's Zebra]

I agree with you. No one - not one single person - has come forward saying they were with him that night, and that could be very significant as they could have been the one(s) who dumped the car and had the cell phone. Whatever did happen, it’s likely that Ronnie did not leave the car there. Even if it had broken down, why would he leave the key in it? The police have confirmed that it hadn’t run out of gas but have not confirmed whether or not it had “broken down.”

There is a timeline in this thread stating that an investigator examined the car and determined it likely had broken down. I don't know why the "likely" is there - that introduces ambiguity. Seems like an investigator could determine whether the car was functioning or not fairly easily.

"Fri, Dec 20 - THP state troopers, a helicopter, two TBI agents were sent to search for more information. An investigator examined Dumas’ car and found that it likely had broken down before being abandoned."

 

[tlcya]

yes, I think it is crucial that it be determined if the car indeed was "broken down" or if that was simply an assumption on the part of those who found it because it was left abandoned alongside the road. I would think the first thing LE would do upon finding out Dumas was missing would be to test that theory of a breakdown but starting said car to see if it ran, especially since they apparently had the key, which was also left behind with the car. It's been a week already, why has this simple question not been laid to rest?

 

[mlhenn]

'We're not sure what happened': Family searches multiple states for missing Alabama man

One Alabama family has spent their holiday season searching for their father.

www.wvtm13.com

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