Montgomery Alabama

As we pull into Riverfront Park in Montgomery Alabama I pull out my itinerary ( which is odd, once we put the address into the GPS I don't usually recheck it) and read the directions to go through the tunnel under the big Riverfront Park sign and then turn left to the Gazebo. We see the big sign over a tunnel but there's no way to drive it. So we do a circle (or two) around the area and realize we are going to have to walk it. The parking is city metered (quarters anyone?), and now we are late. What to bring? It's pretty far and we have so much stuff. Some quick decisions are made and we are off on foot.

Tillis James is hosting this stop (10/6/13 1:30pm) in honor of her son, Missing George James. We find Tillis waiting for us at the bottom of the tunnel. There's already press there and she's so excited for our arrival. She escorts us to the gazebo on the water. It's a beautiful location. It begins to rain and we hurry to get under cover.  Tillis' husband, son and granddaughter are there. They have plastered missing person posters onto the poles and as I begin photographing I see a handwritten note on George's, "KNOW THIS GEORGE: Mama is coming for you, no matter how long nor how far, I will bring you home. love, Mama".  My heart begins to ache for her, next month it will be 15 years.

George James was 21 years old when he left home after an argument with his mother in 1998. He allegedly had a large sum of money on him and possibly plans to move to Mobile or Florida to find work and start life over. Later that day his broken down car was found about 80 miles away, and the last sighting of him is nearby at a telephone booth in a convenience store. He has neither been seen or heard from since. He is considered a probable homicide victim.

I listen as George's father tells an interviewer that whoever picked up his son was likely the last person to see him alive. He says that not knowing what happened to his son is something tragic that they have lived through every day since George's disappearance. He is "pretty sure" his son is no longer living but his body has never been found. Tillis tried her best not to cry through her interviews vowing to spend the rest of her life searching for her son. I watched her search for the words to express her feelings, to get people to understand what it's like to be the mother of a missing son.

There were 3 or 4 different media people there, which I found wonderful for such an old case. They did not have any other people there. When they tried to apologize we were quick to tell them having all that press was far more important. When the rain started, the gazebo filled with people from the park seeking shelter. Tillis said "George sent the rain so the pictures would show lots of people".

They all signed the banner and this is what Tillis' granddaughter (George's niece) wrote, "We all LOVE you George! I wish I could have met you! Annie James". She's probably 12, another generation affected. Something you see way too often. As I talk with Tillis, telling her a little about Matt's story, about how I truly understand what she's going through I realize that all of us helping Monica on the tour this year; Janeane, Harlen and I have had missing young men. It was a strange awakening, and as I shared it with her I could see it helped her to know we had all been there too.

Elisa

After George's story ran the next day in the news Monica received a phone call from a woman who said that she knew George. Her son was murdered and George had given a statement to the police days before his disappearance. Monica will probably explain it better if she blogs about it but this may be new information received some 14 years later because of the RTRT. The reason we go on this trip every year.

Elisa