Family of missing Richmond County man still looking for closure
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - There’s a new push in the search for a Richmond County man who was last seen in Feb. 2023.
Deputies say Bruce Damon Barker was last seen on Milledgeville Road.
The sheriff’s office says he disappeared under quote suspicious circumstances.
It’s something families with missing loved ones go through daily, in some cases being left with no answers.
The sheriff’s office says each case is different, but behind each case is a family waiting for closure.
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" Damon just wanted to live a normal life, the best he could,” said Joe Barker, Damon’s brother.
For two years, Damon Barker’s family has searched and waited.
" We just want some closure. You know, we wanna get my brother home so we can, so the family can kind of put it to rest and just figure out, ‘cause somebody knows something,” said Joe.
It started with a missed call.
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“It’s out of his character. Totally. And he would have reached out to family at this point and way, way before,” said Lauren Barker, Damon’s sister-in-law.
Now, there are missed birthdays and holidays.
" He’s missed two Christmases, and that’s something he never missed. Just never. It was something important to him,” said Lauren.
Still no sign of Damon, and his family still doesn’t know why.
" I’ll say that we have put out flyers, you know, multiple times. We’ve put up signs, we have checked the homeless shelters, the soup kitchens. We’ve checked everywhere,” said Lauren.
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His brother Joe and sister in law Lauren live miles away in Greenville, but distance never stopped them from finding their brother.
“It was literally too painful for one of his other brothers and sister to even do the interview. Just when I reached out to them, they just burst into tears. Every time a bolo comes out or somebody asks you, it just brings all those feelings back, and they become totally fresh again, because we have absolutely no resolution,” said Lauren.
Damon’s family isn’t asking for much.
" I just wanna find my brother, bring him to where we can all, as a family, grieve, and bring this to an end, but somebody knows something,” said Joe.
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