“I feel like I have to fight more to keep his name alive,” said Juan Merlos’ sister
Credit: GoFundMe
NEED TO KNOW
- Juan Merlos and his 2009 blue Chevy Silverado were last seen on a license plate recognition system entering Anthony, New Mexico, early on Aug. 21, 2024
- The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation into the 36-year-old Marine veteran’s disappearance is still active
- His disappearance also came as his family was navigating “back-to-back tragedies”
Two years after a Texas Marine veteran disappeared without a trace loved ones are continuing to push for answers.
Juan Merlos left his home in Montgomery County, Texas, on Aug. 20, 2024, driving a 2009 blue Chevy Silverado westbound on Interstate I-10, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
His last known sighting took place just before 3:00 a.m. local time the following morning, when a license plate recognize system flagged him entering Anthony, New Mexico.
Merlos, who was 36 when he disappeared, served in the Marines for six years before moving back to be closer to family, according to CBS affiliate KHOU, which spoke to his loved ones to mark the 2-year anniversary of his disappearance.
Since he first vanished, investigators have looked into tips related to possible sightings in Texas and New Mexico, according to the station. They have checked transactions and national law enforcement databases monthly.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, which did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, told the outlet that the investigation into his disappearance is still active.
His disappearance came as the family was already navigating heartbreak. That July, just weeks before he disappeared, his sister Karen died in a crash related to Hurricane Beryl.
“As we were grieving her loss, we were also facing the reality that our younger brother, Oscar, had kidney cancer,” loved ones wrote in a message on a GoFundMe page, going on to note that Oscar went on to have a kidney removed while they searched for Merlos.
“These back-to-back tragedies have shaken us to our core,” the message continued. “We are doing our best to stay strong.”
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As time marches on, his sister Jackie told KHOU that she fears his case is losing “momentum.”
“I feel like I have to fight more to keep his name alive,” she added. “Because he’s going to be forgotten is how I feel. Honestly, it’s been hard. I feel like I’m almost alone in this.”
Merlos has a large skull tattoo with a butterfly under it on his left forearm and was last seen wearing a black shirt and black pants, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 936-760-5800, press option 3 and refer to case No. 24A243812.
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