Missing Since: 2016-02-27 Location: None, Illinois
Scott was last seen in rural Bureau County, Illinois on February 28, 2016. His green 1994 Cadillac struck a guardrail on Route 29 near Echo Bluff Park, just west of Spring Valley, at 3:00 a.m. At the accident site, the vehicle sustained minor damage to the front end. There was no bloor and the airbag had not been deployed, suggesting the driver was not seriously injured. His best friend stated he witnessed the accident. He said he and Scott had been driving their cars around, chasing each other and speeding, when Scott lost control and hit the guardrail. When his friend arrived at the accident scene, Scott was gone, and his friend never saw him again. About thirty minutes after the accident, a man was scene walking up to a house in the Echo Bluff area, about one-eighth to one-quarter of a mile from the site of the crash. The homeowners stated the man looked like Scott but was shorter than Scott would have been, and that he walked up the driveway to their house but then turned and left after a dog began barking. It’s possible the person wanted to use a phone but was scared off by the dog. Scott’s only jacket was found lying in a field across the road from the accident site. With it was an envelope containing the title to Scott’s trailer home. He normally kept the title in his wallet, which disappeared with him; it’s not clear whether the wallet has ever been found. At the time of his disappearance, Scott was in the process of a divorce. He spent the day before he disappeared with his best friend, and also visited his family and talked to his father about the divorce. He asked his father for advice and said he thought his best friend was having an affair with his wife. Scott does have a minor criminal record, for stealing scrap metal when he was 18 years old. He was on probation for that offense. Scott did not realize this, but three days before he went missing a warrant was issued for his arrest for violating probation. His family does not believe he would have run away because of this warrant, even if he had known about its existence. They stated he had put his life back together after getting into trouble, and had been doing well. He never picked up his monthly Social Security checks after his disappearance; these checks were his only source of income. Although police stated there’s no evidence of foul play in Scott’s disappearance, his family thinks he may not have been driving the car when it crashed, and they believe he may have been murdered. His case remains unsolved. Investigating Agency Bureau County Sheriff’s Office 815-875-3344 Source Information NamUs Shaw Local News Network Missing in Illinois Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated May 16, 2023; casefile added.