One in a series on unsolved cases in Ruston and Lincoln Parish
by Wesley Harris
Case No. 7
Name: James Price Tomlinson
Type of Case: Missing Person
Date: August 2022
Status: Remains missing
Nearly four years after James Price Tomlinson disappeared, one detail continues to stand out—he left behind everything he would have needed to start over.
Tomlinson, 38 at the time, was last seen on August 11, 2022, just north of Ruston. Despite extensive searches, numerous interviews, and continued appeals to the public, no clear answers have emerged about what happened to him.
According to his family, his wallet, identification, phone, and even his shoes were all found—items they say he would not have willingly abandoned.
“James didn’t leave or just walk away,” his mother, Penny Otwell Skipper, said in earlier interviews. “I believe that somebody knows something.”
Skipper has spoken candidly with the media about her son’s struggles leading up to his disappearance.
“Very outgoing. He loved everyone. He was a happy person and very smart in school,” Skipper said. “We just lost him somewhere.”
By “lost,” Skipper means her son’s battle with drug addiction, which she believes may have played a role in the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
“He didn’t leave on his own,” she said. “He is an addict. He has some problems. He could have been off with some friends taking something laced with fentanyl. That could have happened, and it could have been an accident.”
In the days and weeks following his disappearance, the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office coordinated multiple search efforts in the Pea Ridge area. Those efforts included ground searches involving deputies, volunteers, and specialized resources such as tracking dogs from Delta Elite K-9 Search & Rescue. Investigators also conducted numerous interviews in an attempt to piece together Tomlinson’s final movements.
Despite those efforts, authorities have said they were unable to determine his whereabouts or identify a clear sequence of events leading to his disappearance.
In the years since, Skipper has remained a constant and vocal advocate for her son, maintaining an active presence on social media and continuing to push for answers. Her posts have kept Tomlinson’s name circulating far beyond Lincoln Parish, drawing attention from surrounding states and missing persons networks across the region.
About two years ago, Skipper received one of her son’s personal belongings in an unexpected way—his class ring, which had been lost long before his disappearance.
“It had been found in an elderly woman’s jewelry after she passed away,” Skipper said. “The Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office followed up on the engraving inside the ring and got it back to me.”
While the ring was unrelated to Tomlinson’s disappearance, its recovery years later added an unexpected detail to an already baffling case.
More recently, Skipper has reiterated her belief that someone in the community holds key information that could break the case. Her message has remained consistent: someone knows something—they just haven’t come forward.
As the case approaches the four-year mark, several key questions remain: Why were Tomlinson’s personal belongings left behind? What exactly happened in the hours before he was last seen? Did anyone witness unusual activity in the area that day? And most critically—has someone remained silent?
Sheriff’s office investigators have continued to work the case throughout the years, but no suspects or persons of interest have been publicly identified, and no explanation of the disappearance has been determined.
While the questions surrounding Tomlinson’s disappearance remain unanswered, for his family, the search has never stopped—and neither has the hope for answers.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of James Price Tomlinson is encouraged to contact Lt. Matt Henderson at the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-251-5111.
