COLUMBUS, OH — Family members and investigators spent four days looking for Joshua Yates, a 19-year-old with autism, after he was last seen walking along Tollgate Road in Etna Township. The Licking County Sheriff’s Office asked the public for help locating him and said he was reported missing after he was seen Monday evening, Nov. 2, near 10485 Tollgate Road SW in Pataskala.
Relatives said the disappearance has been especially alarming because Yates takes prescribed medication and needs regular care. His mother, Paula Hagerman, said the family was struggling to understand how he could have vanished without anyone noticing. Deputies said they wanted anyone who drove the area around 6:22 p.m. that night to come forward if they saw a person walking, a parked vehicle or anything out of the ordinary.
Family says the missing teen needs medication and close supervision
Yates’ family described him as someone whose condition makes the search more urgent. His aunt, Tricia Reed, said his prescribed medication is essential because, without it, he can experience delusions that worsen the longer he goes without treatment. The family said that concern has added to their worry as the search stretched into another day.
Hagerman said she has been frustrated by the lack of answers and surprised that more people had not reported seeing him. She said the family expected that a disappearance involving a young man with mental disabilities would have generated more immediate attention. Her questions have centered not only on where he is, but also on how he could have gone missing from a supervised setting.
Sheriff’s office expanded the search with drones, door knocks and alerts
The sheriff’s office said its search has included more than 50 drone missions and canvassing by about 100 officers. Deputies have gone door to door and checked ponds, wooded areas and nearby sheds in the area where Yates was last seen. Investigators also said they have sent more than 15,000 alerts to people nearby in an effort to gather tips.
Officials said detectives have interviewed people and continued following up on information that came in during the search. The agency said the investigation remained active while search teams worked the area. Deputy Chief Chris Barbuto said the department intended to keep pressing forward until it found answers about Yates’ whereabouts.
Questions remain about how Yates left a residential care facility
Family members said Yates had been living at a residential care facility before he disappeared. They said they were trying to understand how he was able to leave a 24-hour care setting without alarms or other safeguards triggering an immediate response. Hagerman said the family believed the situation should have been noticed quickly because of his needs.
The facility is operated by ViaQuest, which did not respond to requests for comment. That left the family and investigators with unanswered questions about the moments before Yates was last seen. His relatives said those questions matter because they may help explain how he got from the facility to Tollgate Road and what happened next.
Investigators described what Yates was wearing and where he was last seen
Authorities said Yates is 5 feet 6 inches tall and about 190 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. The sheriff’s office said he was last seen wearing a gray shirt, black hoodie and black pants. Investigators used those details in their public appeal, asking residents and drivers to remember whether they noticed anyone matching that description on Nov. 2.
The Licking County Sheriff’s Office said the most useful leads could come from people who were near Tollgate Road around the time Yates disappeared. Even small details, such as a vehicle parked where it should not have been or someone walking alone, could help detectives reconstruct his movements. Officials said they wanted anyone with information to contact investigators right away.
Law enforcement urged anyone with information to call immediately
Officials said the public can help by calling the Licking County Sheriff’s Office at 740-670-5555 with any information about Yates’ whereabouts or anyone who may have seen him on Nov. 2. The appeal came as crews kept working the area and reviewing tips from the community.
Deputy Chief Barbuto said the agency planned to exhaust every lead in the effort to bring Yates home. The sheriff’s office also thanked community members and partner agencies for sharing alerts, providing tips and helping with the search. Even with those efforts, authorities said they were still trying to piece together what happened after Yates was last seen walking southbound from Tollgate Road SW.
