While Just A Freshman In College, He Vanished After Going To A Nightclub In 2007, And Investigators Suspect He May Have Been Robbed And Killed
Justin Gaines, born in Westlake, Ohio, relocated to Snellville, Georgia, with his family when he was 6-years-old. He grew up alongside seven siblings, and according to his mother, Erika Wilson, her children relished hanging out together.
“They always loved to play games, go swimming, go out exploring. We just always had a good time,” she said.
So, once Justin began preparing his plans for higher education after high school, he didn’t want to go too far away from home. That’s why he settled on attending Gainesville State College, which is now the University of North Georgia.
Yet, at just 18-years-old and only a few months into his first semester of college, he disappeared.
It all began on November 1, 2007, when Justin traveled home for the weekend. He intended to spend time with his family and earn some extra money by cleaning gutters with his stepfather, Steve.
Then, that Thursday night, his friend Chris dropped him off at a nightclub known as Wild Bill’s, which was located in Duluth. He was familiar with the venue and had even attended teen nights at the club when he was younger.
Justin had a VIP pass, though, and Chris did not. So, Justin went to the nightclub alone that evening.
Erika detailed how her son was an extremely sociable person who easily made friends. Throughout the evening, he was captured on surveillance cameras in the club. And at about 1:30 a.m., he was seen for the last time before he went missing.
Justin had been standing outside the club, calling friends and asking them for a lift home. No one was able to pick him up.
Facebook – pictured above is Justin
After that, he never returned home, and at first, his mother wasn’t very concerned. Justin had never called his parents for a ride, and they figured he might’ve still been with his friends.
However, once Saturday rolled around and Justin’s mother still couldn’t get in touch with him, she realized something was wrong.
“In my mom heart, I just knew that something wasn’t right,” she recalled.
She began calling around to his friends, who told her to remain calm. But by Monday morning, his acquaintances were becoming worried, too. Justin had planned to give his friend Chris a ride back to college, but he never arrived.
Plus, his car, wallet, and identification were still left behind at Erika’s house.
At that point, Erika logged into Justin’s school portal and learned he hadn’t turned in an assignment due that day. She knew this was unlike her son, who always submitted his schoolwork on time.
Justin was ultimately reported missing to the Gwinnett County Police Department, and his loved ones launched into action. That Monday, November 5, his friends and family began driving around the region, searching for signs of Justin and handing out missing person flyers.
Over the following week, efforts only increased, including a command center, maps, and the assistance of a private investigator. Unfortunately, even as months went on, no clues to Justin’s whereabouts were found.
In the years since he went missing, investigators have looked into dozens of leads. They also have a couple of theories regarding what happened.
One theory is that perhaps Justin may have gotten into the wrong person’s car that evening, as some people reportedly claim that he’d entered a black vehicle.
In 2019, investigators also discussed another theory. They suspect that Justin might’ve been met with foul play after going to the nightclub, where he was reportedly wearing a diamond earring.
Authorities believe a blonde woman might’ve offered him a ride at Wild Bill’s and taken him to a house in Snellville, where he was possibly robbed and shot. Later, investigators think his body was disposed of in Lake Lanier, where it floated up a couple of days later. According to authorities, this caused the suspects to drive Justin’s body to a different county, where they dumped it in a well.
At the time, Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy detailed how the most difficult part of solving Justin’s case was determining whether these theories were credible.
It’s now been nearly 17 years since Justin went missing, and the search for answers remains. The investigation is now being led by the Walton County Sheriff’s Department, and Investigator Michael Rising stated that the theories surrounding Justin’s disappearance have stayed mostly the same.
“One theory is that he was interested in a girl who was someone else’s girlfriend, and that upset some people and got in his face. The other theory is that he appeared as though he had some cash, he was wearing a nice earring, and the robbery may have been a motive,” Rising said.
While investigators have had persons of interest in the case, no one has been charged. For Erika, she wants closure more than anything.
“It’s not even about arresting someone anymore. It’s just about bringing him home and having closure,” she explained.
An anonymous donation of $25,000 was reportedly given to Justin’s family to serve as a reward for information that led to an arrest in his case.
He was five foot eleven, weighed 210 pounds, and had brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing ripped blue jeans and a gray Abercrombie long-sleeve shirt.
If you have any information regarding Justin’s disappearance, you are urged to contact Walton County Sheriff’s Cold Case Investigator Michael Rising at (770) 266-1558.
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