LINCOLN PARISH (KTVE/KARD)-- In August 2022, a Lincoln Parish man simply vanished. Right now, his mother is continuing to spread the word about her missing son. She's looking for answers and holding on to hope that maybe one day, she'll see her son again.

"Very outgoing. He loved everyone. He was a happy person and very smart in school. He was one of the top Who's Who of the 200 the year he graduated. We just lost him somewhere", said Ginny Skipper.

What Ginny means by "lost" is that her son 38-year-old James Price Tomlinson had become a struggling drug addict and circumstances surrounding the lifestyle he was living may have something to do with his disappearance.

"He didn't leave on his own. He is an addict. He has some problems. He could have been off with some friends taking something laced with fentanyl. You know, that could have happened and it could have been an accident", she explained.

Tomlinson was last seen on August 11, 2022, in the Pea Ridge community, just outside Ruston. He'd left his phone, wallet, shoes, and all of his personal belongings behind. His mother says the last time she'd seen him was a few days earlier. She walked us through her last encounter with her son.

"It was a bad day for him. He was having a hard time finding somewhere to live", she explained.

Ginny said he was bouncing from couch to couch and she agreed to drop him off with a friend.

She added, "The friend met him up the road. He went to get out of the car. He told me bye and turned back around. He said no, you hold my money for me. They might roll me. And so I held his money for him and that was the last I saw of him".

The Lincoln Parish Sheriff's Office opened an investigation to locate James.

"They helped. They did two searches for him. One with the dogs...with Melanie Martin and her dogs. They have no answers either. They did try at first to really help", said Ginny.

She's turned to additional sources like missing persons' support groups to help spread the word about her son's strange disappearance.

I rely a lot on the Missing Eight and Beyond. They are out of East Texas and do really well with keeping his name out there.

Ginny Skipper

For now, Ginny focuses on the good memories of her son, looking at his old drawings, and thinking about the good times they shared. Every moment is filled with hope that one day he will return. Call Crime Stoppers at 318-388-CASH with any information on this case.

Detectives with the Lincoln Parish Sheriff's Office confirmed this case is still open and active. Also, the family is offering an award of $1,200 to anyone with information on James's whereabouts.