What happened to Ricky Lane Thomas?
Thirteen year old Ricky Thomas lived Perry County, Indiana at the time of his disappearance. He was supposed to be home-schooled due to past behavioral and disciplinary issues, however on November 6, 1997, his mother and stepfather were away from home working. At about 1:00 PM this day, Ricky decided to walk to his cousin Daisy's house, which was just 1 mile away. He brought with him his two hunting dog puppies. Neighbors witnessed Ricky and the dogs walking. Ricky never arrived to his cousin's home and has not been seen since.
Daisy and Ricky had planned for him to stay the night at her home and would be visiting a nearby town the following day. Ricky had told Daisy on the phone that he was bringing $20 that they could use to get lunch. When Ricky did not arrive as planned, Daisy called his family home and told his mother. However his mother did not alert authorities until the following day.
Family members wonder if Ricky left that day of his own accord. They question why Ricky would bring his two dogs with him, and also his wallet with the $20 was left behind. Was this just an accident that he left the wallet?
Ricky's stepfather is considered a possible suspect in this case. He apparently was not very cooperative during the search for Ricky. The stepfather one day disguised his voice on the telephone and called Ricky's mother (his wife at the time) and said he had information about Ricky. He later admitted it was he who had called. They are now divorced. Ricky's biological father, who died from a drug overdose in 2000, is not considered a suspect despite family members reporting tensions and fighting between father and son.
In 2015 there were reports that a dive team might search a lake for Ricky's body but I am not sure if this ever occurred.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/t/thomas_ricky.html
Posted Feb 17, 2017, 2:58 AM UTC