Longmont, CO – Authorities in Colorado are renewing calls for information in the disappearance of a Longmont man who vanished in 2018, leaving his family searching for answers six years later.
According to the Weld County Sheriff’s Office, John Samuel Rice left his home on November 14, 2018. Rice was known to travel widely across the country, from California to Florida. His father, David Rice, told investigators that John was an adventurer but typically found his way home.
Nearly two years passed with no contact, and on the 696th day after John left home, his sister—concerned for his safety—reported him missing to the Weld County Sheriff’s Office. She told deputies she hoped he would return on his own but felt filing the report was her final option.
According to investigators, the case intensified in October 2020 when deputies traced reports suggesting Rice was seen in Pooler, Georgia, in fall 2019. Deputies searched hospitals, shelters, and police departments across Colorado and Georgia, but no confirmed sightings materialized.
A more recent lead places Rice in Denver, where investigators believe he may have been as recently as September 2022. In 2022, authorities located his passport inside an abandoned vehicle, strengthening the belief that he had been in the area at that time. The Weld County Sheriff’s Office is again urging the public to come forward with any information, emphasizing that even small details may help reunite Rice with his family.
Anyone with information about the disappearance of John Rice is asked to call the Weld County tip line at (970) 304-6464 or email Crimetips@Weld.gov.
