Missing Tennessee teen Sebastian Rogers' dad hires PI as search enters 2nd month: 'Could be anywhere'
It's been two months since Tennessee teenager Sebastian Rogers vanished from his Hendersonville home without a trace — or his shoes.
Amid a disconcerting lack of answers and family drama, the missing 15-year-old's father told Fox News Digital that he decided to hire a private investigator for help. He's also calling on the FBI to get involved in the search for his son.
"I'm not getting any information from Sumner County," Seth Rogers said, adding that he "wasn't invited" to a press conference last month regarding his son's disappearance.
Seth said he also had trouble getting answers from authorities when a scammer recently contacted him to demand hundreds of dollars in exchange for information about Sebastian.
The Sumner County Sheriff's Office issued an Amber Alert for Sebastian on Feb. 26 after he was last seen in the area of Stafford Court. His mother, Katie Proudfoot, previously told Fox News that she overheard noise coming from Sebastian's room on the evening of Feb. 25 and told him to keep it down. The next morning, he was gone.
CAJUN NAVY CALLS OFF SEARCH FOR MISSING AUTISTIC TEEN SEBASTIAN ROGERS AMID THREATS
When Katie and Sebastian's stepfather, Chris Proudfoot, decided to leave town following his disappearance due to threats, speculation about their involvement began to spread online, but Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Susan Niland said in an April 2 press conference that his parents have been "cooperative throughout" the investigation.
Seth had also expressed some skepticism about Chris and Katie's decision to leave town but ultimately decided to work with Sebastian's mother and stepfather after they spoke at a vigil for the missing 15-year-old on Saturday. As of Monday, the three parents and Seth's PI decided to put aside their differences amid Sebastian's missing-persons case, which has been hindered by rumors and false information, and work with each other to find him, Seth told Fox News Digital.
"I don't know what is true. … All I know is that Sebastian could be anywhere," Seth said.
Seth, who had custody of Sebastian every other weekend and on holiday breaks, broke down when recalling the two and a half-minute phone call he had with his son the day before he disappeared.
"It was a normal Thursday, and I called him at about 3:30. He was already home from school," Seth recalled. He asked his son about his day, his homework, and told Sebastian that he loved him: "Pretty normal conversation."
Had he known it would be their last conversation, Seth would have taken more time to talk to his son, he said.
Sebastian, who has autism, was interested in video games and Legos. He did well in school and was about to receive an award for his work with the Future Farmers of America, Seth said.
Investigators are asking the public to keep an eye out for anything unusual and contact the Sumner County Emergency Communications Center at 615-451-3838 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND with any information that could be helpful in the search for Sebastian.
Authorities have received a total of 314 tips related to the search for Sebastian as of Tuesday.