The search for missing graduate student Dakota James has become a puzzle of videos.
The 23-year-old is seen around 11:49 p.m. the night of January 25, 2017, outside the Wood Street T Station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was with a co-worker, who can be seen getting into an Uber.
Dakota is then seen walking alone through Katz Plaza in the city’s Cultural District. He’s on his phone. It’s unclear if he then headed to the subway or opted to head home on foot.
Whichever way he headed, Dakota never made it home. And when he didn’t show up for his full-time job the following day, alarm bells went off to those who know him best.
“We’ve walked every street in this town and we need that person who knows what we don’t,” Jeff James, Dakota’s father, told reporters at a news conference earlier this month. “No one knows what the outcome of this will be, but someone out there knows where my son is.”
Dakota moved to Pittsburgh in August of 2015 to pursue a graduate degree at Duquesne University. He’s described online as punctual and caring -- not someone who would simply disappear on his own. He had been out with friends the night he disappeared, and nothing seemed amiss, according to police.
Detectives have said they have collected surveillance images from more than a dozen cameras in the vicinity Dakota was last seen. Business owners in the area were asked to watch any videos they may have from that night and see if they could spot Dakota.
Multiple searches have been conducted in the weeks since Dakota vanished, including several with Pittsburgh River Rescue personnel and K-9 officers. Using SONAR and specialized cameras advanced enough to see through murky waters, crews concentrated their efforts near the Roberto Clemente Bridge. Again, nothing of significance has been found.
Last week, Bring Our Missing Home, a national organization that aids families in their search for missing loved ones, reportedly began working closely with the James family in their efforts, according to a Facebook post on the group’s page.
Everyone’s hope is that someone, somewhere, will report the information that will bring Dakota home safely.
Dakota James is described as 5’8’ tall, weighing 145 lbs. with brown hair and brown eyes. His ears are both pierced and he has a single triangle tattoo on his ankle. He was last seen wearing a dark colored coat and jeans.
Anyone with information regarding Dakota’s whereabouts is urged to contact Pittsburgh Police Department at (412) 323-7141 or a toll-free tip line at (810) 294-4858. There is currently at $10,000 reward for information offered by the James family for information that leads to locating Dakota.