The family of 63 year-old Kenneth Wayne Jimson is still waiting for answers in his mysterious disappearance from Shelby, North Carolina almost two years ago. When he was reported missing back in December of 2017, authorities issued a Silver Alert for Kenneth because they believed that he was coping with a cognitive impairment. Like many other missing individuals with cognitive impairments, case progress has been stalled because of the transient nature of missing persons with those impairments.
According to the Shelby Star, the last confirmed sighting of Kenneth was in the vicinity of Care Solutions on East Grover Street in Shelby, North Carolina. He underwent a minor outpatient medical procedure that was performed the day he disappeared. His wife reportedly called a cab to pick him up after he was discharged from Atrium Health in Shelby. However, Kenneth never caught the cab. The last confirmed sighting placed Kenneth headed in the direction of a local Bojangles.
At the center of this frustrating search are Kenneth’s loved ones, who only grow more desperate for answers in his disappearance. His sister, Lauree Butler, told the Shelby Star, “It’s hard not knowing if he’s alive or dead.” A few months after Kenneth was reported missing, there was a ray of hope when witnesses in the southern region of the county reported seeing a man who fit his description. However, authorities were not able to follow through on the lead while it was still active. They failed to catch up with the tip, and the trail once again went cold. “Every time the police would show up, there would be nothing,” Lauree Butler told the Shelby Star. “He had been in a wreck…His mind wasn’t what it should be.”
According to the family, Kenneth had wandered off once before, and he was located headed in the direction of Gaffney, South Carolina. As of March, 2019, authorities said that they believed Kenneth could be in that same area, and have been working with his family in order to determine where he might have gone.
Kenneth Jimson is 5-feet, 10-inches tall and weighs around 200 pounds. He has short back hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing black jeans and a black jacket. Kenneth has a dent in his forehead from a previous medical procedure. Anyone with information about Kenneth Jimson should call the Shelby Police Department at 704-484-6845.