James Woodford Guinn

• Missing Since 09/24/1993
• Missing From Pineville, Louisiana
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Age 48 years old
• Height and Weight 5'0 - 5'2, 140 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A lavender- or wine-colored striped shirt with a collar, blue jeans and sneakers. His shirt and pants may have the initials "J.G." on them.
• Medical Conditions Guinn is mentally disabled and functions at the level of a five-year-old. He suffers from severe seizures and has so much difficulty walking that he wore a helmet to protect his head from falls. He's also legally blind; he has very poor vision in his left eye and is completely blind in his left eye. Guinn takes medication and he didn't have it with him at the time of his disappearance; he would be unable to survive for more than a few days without it.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Blond hair. Guinn wears thick eyeglasses and his two upper front teeth are missing. He walks with a severe limp and often falls.

Details of Disappearance

Guinn was last seen at Pinecrest State School, the state residential facility for mentally disabled individuals where he lived in Pineville, Louisiana, on September 24, 1993. (The facility's name has since been changed to Pinecrest Developmental Center.) He was last seen standing on the patio of his cottage, smoking his pipe, at 4:45 p.m.

He was reported missing about fifteen minutes later after he failed to show up for dinner. He has never been heard from again and an extensive search of the area turned up no indication of his whereabouts.

Guinn had been living at Pinecrest State School for almost thirty years by the time he went missing and had no record of absconding. His cottage was about a mile from the front entrance, which was unmanned at the time of his disappearance and was the only public access route onto the fenced grounds.

He enjoys being around groups of people. He had relatives living in Bossier City at the time of his disappearance, and had also spent time in a mental health facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.

In 1995, Guinn's mother sued Pinecrest, alleging their security measures were lacking and her son was inadequately supervised. The institution's treatment plan had said he required "constant supervision", meaning staff needed to keep him in sight or know where he was at all times. Five months before he disappeared, this was downgraded to "close supervision", meaning staff needed to check on him at least every fifteen minutes.

Witnesses at the trial suggested it was unlikely Guinn ran away and theorized he was abducted from the grounds and murdered. A judge ruled in Guinn's mother's favor and she was awarded $300,000 in damages. His case remains unsolved.