TUPPER LAKE, N.Y. -
Its been five weeks since 18 year old Colin Gillis vanished from Tupper Lake, New York but family and friends have not let up the search. While police don't suspect foul play, his disappearance remains a mystery.
John Gillis, the father of missing Tupper Lake teen Colin Gillis has been searching for his son since the day he went missing. "Every time we go out and look and we don't find him - as discouraging as it is, you have to know that, okay, he's not here, he's gotta be somewhere else," Gillis said.
Even with that optimism, it's a parents worst nightmare, one minute the Brockport college freshman was home for spring break, "he left me laughing that night," Gillis said. The next, search crews are combing nearby woods for his body. Colin Gillis was last seen walking home from a party on State Route 3 in the early morning hours of March 11th. "We've covered so much territory, that we know he's not around here," Gillis added.
The Gillis family received overwhelming support from the region and the search for Colin started less than 24 hours after police were notified. "I told the rangers that I felt like the president, the way they were looking for my kid," Gillis said.
But as each day passes, the searches wind down, and only those closest to Colin aren't giving up hope and continue to explore every possibility. "I picture him walking in, every day," Gillis said.
And while many questions remain a mystery in this case, perhaps one of the most important is why many witnesses on this road last saw Colin walking in a direction away from his home, even cell phone records picked up his signal in the area, but he hasn't been seen or heard from since. And after scouring hundreds of miles of land, little evidence has been recovered. "The only thing that was found was his driver license on the road, where he was last seen," search volunteer, Herbert Kentile said.
Collin Gillis has no medical conditions and is described by his dad as a smart and funny son. Gillis is six foot tall- 170 pounds. Anyone with information is asked to call law enforcement officers. And volunteers looking to join the search should contact the Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce.
