Joseph Paul Gauthier

• Missing Since 04/29/2015
• Missing From Nederland, Texas
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 11/23/1982 (42)
• Age 32 years old
• Height and Weight 5'8 - 5'9, 195 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A red or burgundy long-sleeved shirt, khaki shorts and green camouflage-print Crocs shoes.
• Associated Vehicle(s) White single-cab Dodge pickup truck (accounted for)
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, green eyes. Gauthier has a mole on the right side of his jaw and burn scars on his left arm. He has the following tattoos: the name "Macie" on his right bicep, the letters "JPG" on his left bicep, his last name "Gauthier" on his upper middle back, Chinese letters on his lower middle back, tribal tattoos on both arms, and an unspecified tattoo on the back of his calf. A photo of one of the tribal tattoos is posted with this case summary.

Details of Disappearance

Gauthier was last seen in Nederland, Texas at 10:30 p.m. on April 29, 2015. He told his wife he going out for a ride; he would usually go to a friend's home and stay for about an hour before returning home. He never came home and has never been heard from again.

At 11:45 p.m., an hour and fifteen minutes after Gauthier left home, his white single-cab Dodge pickup truck was found abandoned on the Rainbow Bridge that connects Port Arthur and Bridge City, Texas. This is about a fifteen-minute drive from Nederland. The truck's motor was running and some of Gauthier's belongings, including his shoes, were inside it.

Police believe Gauthier took his own life by jumping from the bridge. His wife, however, thinks he met with foul play. He worked for Absolute Construction at the time of his disappearance, welding large metal fences. Gauthier left behind a young daughter. His case remains unsolved. Port Arthur police are investigating.