A Massachusetts photographer was found dead in the back of a postal delivery truck hundreds of miles from home — leaving his baffled family searching for answers.
James Wilder was driving to Las Vegas for work when his car broke down in Joplin, Missouri, FOX 2 News reported.
His family bought him a Greyhound bus ticket to return to Massachusetts on Dec. 3, but he suddenly went dark after a stop off in St. Louis, his concerned girlfriend said.
“It [the bus] stopped in St. Louis, and he never made it back on the bus,” Zequaya Withers told the outlet.
His last known cell phone location before the device died was near the Greyhound bus terminal in downtown St. Louis, walking towards the Enterprise Center, home of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, on Dec. 8.
“We just weren’t getting any answers, but it was about five days since he initially went missing before we got the terrible news,” Withers said.
Wilders’ sisters then filed a missing person report, and five days later, on Dec. 13, his body was found in the back of a postal delivery truck less than half a mile from the bus terminal, FOX 2 News reported.
No cause of death was given, and it is expected to take at least six weeks until Wilder’s autopsy is released.
“An [United Postal Service] employee had interacted with him. And just within minutes, he was deceased,” Withers said.
St. Police have not yet launched any criminal investigation into Wilder’s death, as they await the pending autopsy results.
“There was no investigation being made on his behalf. James was not a homeless person,” Wilder’s sister Jenia Wilder told FOX 2 News.
“We’ve been trying to find answers, and many doors have been shut on us,” she added.
Wilder’s loved ones have now begged the public to come forward if they know what happened to James, who also sometimes went by the name Jasmin.
“I’m hoping that someone will reach out to us,” Withers said.