John was last seen on the morning of July 11th when his mother dropped him off at his cousin's house around 10:30 AM. He stayed for about 20 minutes before leaving on foot, without a phone or any money. Since then, no one has reported seeing him. The following day, July 12th, his wife went to a domestic violence shelter in Searcy, Arkansas, and then spent an additional 12 days at Compass Health, a mental health facility in the same area. After being released, she was arrested at her new boyfriend's house for old warrants.

She later moved in with him and has not shown concern for John until 54 days after he went missing. She agreed to take a polygraph test but later skipped out on it. She has not cooperated with the police and has only contacted the minor children in the family, avoiding communication with the adults. Search dogs tracked John’s scent to her new boyfriend’s house, but the trail was lost there. At the time of his disappearance, John was wearing a light blue t-shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and Hey Dude shoes.