Jeremy 'Worm' Jourdain, Promising Basketball Player, Vanished In 2016
Investigators would like for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts to check their properties and to keep an eye on the land when they are out exploring.
Jeremy Jourdain [Bemidji Police Department]
BEMIDJI, MN — Another Halloween has come and gone and there’s still no sign of now 19-year-old Jeremy Jourdain. Police say he vanished on October 31, 2016, from Bemidji, Minnesota, and hasn’t been seen since.
According to a Fall 2018 police press release, Jourdain, who was 17 at the time, was in the area of 6th Street and Wood Avenue SE around midnight, walking away from a party, when he vanished. He was last seen at the Washington Avenue Apartments on the east side, reports add.
Bemidji Police Chief Mike Mastin spoke out recently about his frustration with the case, and added that friends saw Jourdain run a couple of blocks north from the apartments. "That's the last place he was seen. When we brought in the tracking search dogs, that's the last place they had scent. It was right in the middle of the street,” Mastin said.
Investigators say they’ve received and followed up with over 150 leads and they’ve searched by air, water, and land to find the teen. While police have scoured the local area, Jourdain’s friends, family, and high school basketball team have not given up either. Over the years they’ve held vigils, conducted their own searches, and raised money to try to solve the mystery. KSTP reports that Jourdain’s teammates used to hold up signs on the sidelines with his photo, his jersey number, and the slogan: #FindWorm.
Jeremy’s aunt Alexandra Tanner, who raised him, spoke out saying, “We want to know what happened. We want to know where he's at. We just want him home.”
The Grand Forks Herald reached out to sister Danielle Jourdain, and she told them, “He’s a goofy kid, he’s a really good kid. He’s nice, he’s funny, he’s got nephews and nieces that really miss him. He’s got a long life to live so we’d really like him home.”
“We are working with several other agencies including the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, FBI, BIA, Leech Lake Tribal Police, Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children created missing posters and they have been sent out across the nation,” Bemidji Police add.
Investigators would like for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts to check their properties and to keep an eye on the land when they are out exploring. Reports say Jeremy is not considered a runaway, and his cell phone has not been on since that night.
"Not knowing is the hardest. He's my first thought in the morning and my last thought when I got to bed. He's missed out on a lot; his own high school graduation, the state tournament, the birth of his nephew, Christmases, Thanksgivings, birthdays," Alex Tanner concludes.
If you have any information about this case, please contact our hotline anonymously (833) 3-PURSUE or submit a tip online.
TRAITS & CHARACTERISTICS:
- Weight: 185 pounds
- Height: 6 feet 5 inches tall
- Hair: Black
- Eyes: Brown
- Sex: Male
- DOB: February 2, 1999
- Race: Native American
- Missing Since: October 31, 2016
- Last seen wearing: Gray-and-blue sweatshirt and blue jeans and gray shoes
- Skills: Talented basketball player
- Nickname: Worm
- Affiliation: Part of the Lake Leech Tribe
For more on this case, watch the “Deadly Poser” episode of In Pursuit With John Walsh on Wednesday, January 30 at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery! Or catch up on ID GO.
Read more: Let's Bring Jeremy Home Facebook, KSTP, Grand Forks Herald, Bemidji Police Department Facebook