JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. – Nearly a dozen people gathered in Benson Sunday to release balloons in remembrance of a man who went missing just before Thanksgiving in 2016.

• Cole Thomas has been missing since 2016.
• Although four people were charged with his disappearance, those charges were dropped in September.
• His family is still actively seeking answers. 
• A $17,000 reward is being offered. 

Cole Thomas has been missing for three years. His disappearance, unsolved.

Initial reports said he was last seen around 3:00 a.m. on November 25, 2016 near North Elm and East Morgan Streets in Benson. He was 22 years old at the time. 

According to two of Cole’s friends, they were traveling with him from Minnesota on I-40 and stopped in Benson. When the car came to a stop in a residential neighborhood, they say he jumped out and ran away. This is the last report of anyone ever seeing him.

Those individuals, and two others, were charged with concealing a death, but those charges were dropped in September.

ORIGINAL REPORT FROM 2016: Police Search for Missing Man in Benson

With no answers to be had, Thomas’s father, Chris Thomas, is now speaking out. "I've had so many people that's wanted to talk and I've waited on charges and it didn't happen," said Thomas.

The Benson Police Department says this case remains under active investigation by both their department and the SBI. A $17,000 reward is still being offered to anyone who has information that could solve this case.

In a statement released to Spectrum News, the department said:

“The Benson Police Department is continuing to actively investigate the disappearance of Christopher Cole Thomas.  We partnered with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation shortly after Cole Thomas was reported missing, and they continue to offer their assistance to us, with manpower and technical expertise, and as liaisons to various other state and federal agencies and resources.  As leads are developed and information received, it is promptly followed up on by our department’s investigators, and/or by SBI agents; and interviews, searches, and other advanced investigative means are still being utilized in this case.

We stay in contact with the Thomas family on a regular basis, and we have communicated on multiple occasions our sincere and shared goal to locate their son and return him home…

Someone, somewhere has the information needed to resolve this case, and bring closure to the Thomas family, and one telephone call or email could potentially help make that happen."

Thomas says he believes his son is dead and he is now fighting for justice.

No remains have been discovered in this case.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Benson Police Department at 919-894-2091 or by email at crimeline@bensonpd.org, or the SBI at 919-779-8188, or 1-800-334-3000 after business hours.