11-23-2011, 09:50 PM
he sounds like a good kid, i hope he gets home soon. leaving his friends and moving must have been a wrench at that age, but he seemed OK with it and was still able to go see his old friends. i feel for what his parents are going through right now, and don't want to think the worst. one thing that worries me aside from him being jacked, is so many people accidently lose control and drive into bodies of water in florida. :(
ST. Pete Times
TAMPA — At 4:06 p.m. Monday, he texted his father.
I love you guys. I'm on my way home.
But 16-year-old William Dean Damon never made it to his Tampa house.
Authorities have scoured possible paths from Winter Park, where he had been visiting a friend. They tried tracing his phone, but it's off. They've interviewed friends and checked his computer's search history.
And on Wednesday, the boy's father, Scott Damon, sat in front of news cameras. He swallowed hard, willing himself not to cry.
"We're just worried," he said. "We don't know what's going on."
To those who don't know him, Dean's disappearance had the markings of a runaway case: A 16-year-old who had just moved from Winter Park to Tampa went back to visit his friends and girlfriend. He had $160 and a vehicle.
But Tampa police say Dean's friends have no idea where he could be now. Neither does his girlfriend. They've posted messages on Facebook, begging him to come home.
It appears Dean intended to return. He told his father he'd leave at 4 p.m. so he could make it back by nightfall. A friend saw him pull out of the driveway.
The cell phone, for whatever reason, went dead quickly, police say. Tracing placed him just blocks from the house.
His family is trying not to think of the worst.
"There are various degrees of horrible," Scott Damon said.
Police have had to tell Damon to stop searching, to stay home with his two daughters, ages 11 and 14, who are very upset.
The family plans to have some semblance of a Thanksgiving meal, at least for the girls.
Authorities from Winter Park, Volusia County, Tampa and the Florida Highway Patrol are working the case. A representative from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children flew in Wednesday to help.
They're asking for tips from anyone who may have seen Dean or the navy blue 2007 Nissan Xterra he was driving, which has a tag number 457XXG.
Dean moved from Winter Park with his family several months ago because his dad, an attorney, got a job at a Tampa law firm.
The teen seemed to be adjusting well, his father said. Dean had made new friends at Plant High School and went to wrestling practice nearly every day.
Teachers said he is funny, outgoing and energetic.
The "I love you" text was not unusual, Damon said. Dean was affectionate, especially when he was out of town.
"He's a fantastic kid," his father said.
Police say their work immediately after a disappearance is very important. As time passes, the scope of their search increases, and Dean's resources likely decrease.
He left with cash carefully budgeted for gas, fast food, and trips to the zoo and movie theater. Friends say he did all those things.
![[Image: family-asks-for-help-finding-missing-son-14733]](http://www2.tbo.com/mgmedia/image/630/394/174538/family-asks-for-help-finding-missing-son-14733/)
![[Image: NCMC1184053x1.jpg]](http://www.missingkids.com/photographs/NCMC1184053x1.jpg)
![[Image: 45a36fa3b6c39410234263194253d30f]](http://o2.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/PATCH/resize/600x450/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/patch/45a36fa3b6c39410234263194253d30f)
Scott Damon (left), the father of William "Dean" Damon who has been missing since Monday, Nov. 21, addresses the media during a press conference
ST. Pete Times
TAMPA — At 4:06 p.m. Monday, he texted his father.
I love you guys. I'm on my way home.
But 16-year-old William Dean Damon never made it to his Tampa house.
Authorities have scoured possible paths from Winter Park, where he had been visiting a friend. They tried tracing his phone, but it's off. They've interviewed friends and checked his computer's search history.
And on Wednesday, the boy's father, Scott Damon, sat in front of news cameras. He swallowed hard, willing himself not to cry.
"We're just worried," he said. "We don't know what's going on."
To those who don't know him, Dean's disappearance had the markings of a runaway case: A 16-year-old who had just moved from Winter Park to Tampa went back to visit his friends and girlfriend. He had $160 and a vehicle.
But Tampa police say Dean's friends have no idea where he could be now. Neither does his girlfriend. They've posted messages on Facebook, begging him to come home.
It appears Dean intended to return. He told his father he'd leave at 4 p.m. so he could make it back by nightfall. A friend saw him pull out of the driveway.
The cell phone, for whatever reason, went dead quickly, police say. Tracing placed him just blocks from the house.
His family is trying not to think of the worst.
"There are various degrees of horrible," Scott Damon said.
Police have had to tell Damon to stop searching, to stay home with his two daughters, ages 11 and 14, who are very upset.
The family plans to have some semblance of a Thanksgiving meal, at least for the girls.
Authorities from Winter Park, Volusia County, Tampa and the Florida Highway Patrol are working the case. A representative from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children flew in Wednesday to help.
They're asking for tips from anyone who may have seen Dean or the navy blue 2007 Nissan Xterra he was driving, which has a tag number 457XXG.
Dean moved from Winter Park with his family several months ago because his dad, an attorney, got a job at a Tampa law firm.
The teen seemed to be adjusting well, his father said. Dean had made new friends at Plant High School and went to wrestling practice nearly every day.
Teachers said he is funny, outgoing and energetic.
The "I love you" text was not unusual, Damon said. Dean was affectionate, especially when he was out of town.
"He's a fantastic kid," his father said.
Police say their work immediately after a disappearance is very important. As time passes, the scope of their search increases, and Dean's resources likely decrease.
He left with cash carefully budgeted for gas, fast food, and trips to the zoo and movie theater. Friends say he did all those things.
Scott Damon (left), the father of William "Dean" Damon who has been missing since Monday, Nov. 21, addresses the media during a press conference