The parents of 24-year-old Thomas “Tommy” Howe, who went missing on January 22, will offer a monetary reward for information leading to the location of their son at a press conference Friday.
Thomas “Tommy” Howe, 24, of Antioch, was reported missing on January 22 to the Antioch Police Department.
Howe was last seen wearing a gray North Face jacket, dark pants, and black and white laced Vans, according to a missing person flyer.
He is described as a male white, 5-foot-8, with brown eyes and brown hair.
The Antioch Police Department will hold a press conference Friday morning at the Antioch Village Hall to provide a summary of events since Howe was last seen, Antioch Communication Specialist Jim Moran said.
Family spokesman Matthew DeMartini will provide information about a reward offered by the family.
Tom and MaryMargaret Howe, the parents of the missing man, will also speak at the press conference.
The parents spoke out about their son’s disappearance on NewsNation Now.
“It’s a nightmare. Every morning we wake up and for about ten seconds you think, ‘Oh, I’m glad that nightmare’s over.’ And then it hits us,” Tom said.
Howe started a new job and was living in an apartment with friends in downtown Chicago, NewsNation reported.
“He was traveling westbound 94. He was in one of the center two lanes. For whatever reason, he veered to the right and struck the guardrail. From that point, (he) veered back to the left, struck another vehicle and both those vehicles came to a stop in the center median,” Antioch Police Chief Geoff Guttschow said.
Immediately following the crash on Interstate 94 at mile marker 16.75, Howe left the scene on foot towards the Old School Forest Preserve near Libertyville, witnesses reported.
Howe’s parents became concerned when he was late to a family lunch.
They checked the location of his personal cell phone and it showed it was located at a tow yard, NewsNation reported.
His parents believe he was disoriented from the crash due to the damage his vehicle sustained.
“The damage that was done just told us, first of all, we couldn’t believe he got out,” MaryMargaret said. “All of the airbags had deployed, so you know, we thought there was some injury.”
On January 24, search teams located Howe’s work cell phone in the Old School Forest Preserve.
Since then, nothing else related to Howe’s disappearance has been found.
Howe told his parents he was getting stressed from working at his apartment during the pandemic.
He sought help from a counselor due to anxious feelings the same day he went missing, NewsNation reported.
Guttschow said there is no indication leading up to the crash to be concerned about Howe’s wellbeing.
His mother believes Howe may have suffered a head injury and became disoriented in the crash. She believes a flight response may have kicked in.
Police told NewsNation that Howe collided with a car occupied by a mother and her children.
Howe and the woman both pulled over and the woman checked her children to make sure they were not injured.
While she was checking on her children, Howe allegedly left the scene, NewsNation reported. The woman never had any interaction with Howe.
Multiple coordinated searches involving hundreds of volunteers and members of law enforcement have taken place since Howe’s disappearance.
The Antioch Police Department continues to lead the search.
Anyone who thinks they may have seen Howe is asked to call the CenCom Dispatch Center at 847-270-9111.