Three weeks after a Jefferson City man disappeared from a Missouri River bridge, his family has turned to social media in a quest to find answers.
Police responded on Dec. 12 to a report that a man had jumped from a bridge at around 4:43 p.m. after an argument with his girlfriend, who was not named in the news release. The man was later identified as Randy C. Chugg, 21.
As the Missouri Highway Patrol's searches of the river continued to yield no results, Randy's father, Chris Chugg, started a Facebook page titled "Help Find Randy Chugg" to raise awareness of his missing son. The page is run by Chugg and his wife, Dannelle, along with other members of Randy's family.
Chugg said he was inspired to create the page after becoming frustrated with a lack of feedback from detectives working on the case. The community has been very supportive, he said, with responses ranging from offers to start rallies on his son's behalf to advice from professionals specializing in search cases.
"We're doing everything we can," Chugg said. "We're doing everything possible."
In the few days since its creation, the page has garnered more than 2,000 likes.
"It's amazing, the response we've had," Chugg said.
Chugg has not heard from Randy since a brief text message about a new phone number that his son sent two weeks before he disappeared.
The evidence seems to point to Randy being deceased, Chugg said. The day he vanished, Randy was dressed in only a T-shirt and pants and left his possessions on the bridge. But Chugg said jumping off a bridge would have been out of character for his son, whom he described as a young man who enjoyed cooking and had a special bond with kids.
"It don't make sense," he said.
Randy's friends and coworkers have been shaken up in the wake of the incident as well.
"It's kind of odd, someone disappearing," said Eric Waldrop, the owner of the tattoo shop where Randy worked, Ink Sling Studio. "You want closure."
Randy had been an apprentice at the shop for about two years, Waldrop said, and had recently completed his first tattoo: an owl with a hat and monocle.
Waldrop and Randy quickly developed a close bond at the shop, a relationship built on a shared love of music and similar senses of humor. When Randy and his girlfriend got engaged, Waldrop was the one who tattooed their engagement rings.
"Out of all the apprentices, I was probably the closest with him," Waldrop said. "Even though there is a 10-year age gap, I saw a lot of myself in him."
Since Randy's disappearance, Waldrop has been in contact with the Chugg family on a regular basis. Randy's coworkers have been affected by the disappearance as well - one worker who had moved to North Carolina returned to Jefferson City upon learning the news, Waldrop said.
"He affected all of us at the shop," Waldrop said. "He's a very intelligent, fun-loving guy ... he wouldn't hurt a fly."
Calling him a "gifted" artist, Waldrop praised Randy's old-school style of tattoo work, which ranged from pin-up girls to animal designs.
But what Waldrop appreciates most about Randy was his consideration for others, from making sure shop visitors were comfortable to creating Batman utility belts for Waldrop's 5-year-old son, Layden.
"I feel for his family," Waldrop said. "His friends and family want closure; we just want to know where he is. That's our ultimate goal - we want him found."