The parents of Antioch native Tommy Howe made a public plea Friday for new leads, and offered a $10,000 reward, in hopes of resolving the three-week-old mystery of his disappearance following an auto accident.
Thomas and MaryMargaret Howe, along with Antioch police and a family spokesman, gave an update on the search for Howe, 24, who was last seen on Jan. 22. He was involved in an auto accident on Interstate 94 near Libertyville that day, and walked away from the crash toward the Old School Forest Preserve, which abuts the highway.
His work cellphone was located in the preserve, and his parents said Friday that they think he may have suffered a head injury.
“Tommy, if you see this and you are confused, please know and remember how deeply we love and care for you,” MaryMargaret Howe said at the Friday news conference at Antioch Village Hall.
Antioch police along with various Lake County law enforcement have repeatedly searched the 540-acre forest preserve. Their efforts have been supported by numerous volunteers; private pilots have volunteered and conducted airborne searches, police said.
On the day he disappeared, Howe, one of three siblings, was driving from his Chicago residence to Antioch for a family lunch. He phoned ahead and said he planned to stop at a store to buy items for a party he planned to attend that night. Those items were discovered in his car, which was located in a tow yard in Vernon Hills, its air bags deployed, after the crash. The phone call was the last contact he had with his family.
Howe is a magna cum laude graduate of Miami (of Ohio) University who was working as a chemical engineer, family spokesperson Matthew DeMartini said. Thomas Howe said his son is, “the first person to drop everything to help someone out.”
Police said they have received more than 200 tips and possible sightings that are being examined and investigated. Anyone with information is asked to call (847) 788-4409. Information can be sent via email to tips@antioch.il.gov.
