Alabama realtor Ronald Dumas, missing over 2 months, now believed abducted, 'in danger'
An Alabama realtor who has been missing since mid-December is now believed to have been "abducted and in danger of bodily harm or death." Police are searching for both him and his kidnappers.
Ronald Leslie Dumas Jr., 37, was abducted on Dec. 15, and there's been a "significant shift" in the investigation into what happened to him, Huntsville Police said in a news release.
Police say Dumas was last seen on surveillance footage entering and leaving a liquor store in Huntsville with two women on the day he was abducted. In a Jan. 16 press release, police said Dumas' car was found 170 miles away Camden, Tennessee, on Dec. 16.
At the time he left the liquor store, "he did not appear to be under any distress," police said, adding that they traced the women to their apartment.
Here is what to know.
What do police think happened?
Police haven't said why Dumas would have been abducted but they do believe multiple people were involved.
They have identified a 450-acre area south of Memphis, Tennessee, as a possible location for Dumas.
Memphis is over 200 miles from where Dumas was last seen in Huntsville, Alabama, and about 150 miles from where his car was found in Camden, Tennessee. Dumas' phone was last tracked on Dec. 21, heading south from Memphis, police said.
"The investigation is gaining momentum, but it remains possible that resolving this case will take significant time," police said.
Police identify five suspects
Police have issued five warrants in connection to the abduction:
- Quintarius Shikelion White, 32
- Toure Laron McLaurin, 33
- Sabrina Rochelle Chambers, 27
- Kierra Symone Clark, 27
- Carissa Cash, 33
White, McLaurin and Chambers are all wanted for first-degree kidnapping while Clark is wanted for conspiracy to commit kidnapping and Cash is wanted for first-degree receiving stolen property.
Huntsville Police is collaborating with other agencies
Police said they are working alongside the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force as well as the FBI. Huntsville Police said the FBI collaborated with officials to obtain the lead identifying the search area outside of Memphis.
“A coordinated search effort was conducted on Thursday, Feb. 6, by 20 investigators, including crime scene personnel and drone operators, from HPD, the Memphis Police Department, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office and Southeastern Search Dogs to gather evidence and potentially locate Dumas,” the release said.
Anyone with information on Dumas's whereabouts is asked to contact Investigator Stephen Gibbs at 256-427-5448 or anonymously at 256-532-7463 or Huntsville Area Crimestoppers at 53-CRIME.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.