LIVE OAK, FL (WTXL) -- A 22-year-old Suwannee County man is still missing more than a month after he was reported missing in North Carolina.
Cole Thomas was last seen on November 25 in Benson, North Carolina, according to local police.
"It's not like Cole to go and not contact somebody," said aunt Darla Gatewood. "We talked all the time, even when he was out of town."
"He's just such a good guy. He's sweet," said grandmother Gwyn Herrington. "Always hugs me, always just so well-mannered."
Cole recently moved to Minnesota for work but was last seen in North Carolina with two acquaintances. Police say he was driving with them when he stopped the car at an intersection and suddenly took off.
"Massive confusion," Gatewood said. "We don't understand the two guys that said where he went missing -- there's just not been a lot of searching."
Gatewood added that groups, including the CUE (Community United Effort) Center for Missing Persons, have volunteered to help with search efforts. According to the family, these groups have been denied by local police and investigators.
That didn't stop Cole's family from trying to find him. His parents have been in Benson ever since they found out he was missing. His family has made several trips back and forth from Suwannee County to North Carolina -- about 7 to 8 hours each way by car.
"They're not going to come home until we have him," Herrington said. "'Til we have him."
A week before Christmas, dozens came to Millennium Park in Live Oak to hold a vigil for Cole. His family says the communities in Live Oak and Benson have been incredibly supportive.
"They have treated my sister and my brother-in-law like family," Gatewood said. "They've opened their homes, offered them a place to stay."
Herrington said, "It's a wonderful community. I have a wonderful church. I have other pastors who have come by for hugs."
But hugs can't heal the hurt this family feels.
"It was the saddest Christmas I believe I've ever had in my entire life. Our hearts were breaking that Cole wasn't with us," Herrington said, as she fought back tears. "Our first Christmas without him."
The family has faith that Cole is alive and waiting to be found.
"We're searching. We're not giving up," said Gatewood. "We're praying. Friends are praying. Family is praying."
