37 year old Nicholas Downey was last seen in Bristol, Florida on February 27, 2023. He disappeared while returning from a trip to visit his wife in Mississippi.
Background
Nicholas Downey was born on January 1, 1986.
At the time of his disappearance he was working in Bradenton, Florida and shared a rental home in in Gulfport, Mississippi with his wife.
He has a 16 year old son and 13 year old daughter who live with their mother in Kentucky.
Disappearance
In late February 2023, Nicholas Downey took a week off from his job in Bradenton, Florida to visit his wife Holly, who was staying at a rehabilitation center in Mississippi. He rented a Tesla car in Tampa through the Turo app for the four day trip.
On the night of February 26, 2023, Downey was on his way back from visiting his wife when he pulled off Interstate 10 to recharge his car behind a McDonald’s restaurant in Marianna, Florida.
Security footage shows a single person exiting the vehicle to charge it before pulling onto State Road 71 heading south, instead of getting back on the interstate.
The car’s owner, who was watching the car’s progress through an app, was alarmed when the car did not get back on the Interstate to continue heading back to Tampa as planned. He sent a text to Downey, which would would have displayed on the car’s dashboard, but received no response.
Nick was scheduled to return to work on the morning of the 27th, but never arrived. Nick hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
On March 3, 2023, Nicholas was reported missing from Gulfport, Mississippi.
Investigation
On the morning of February 27, 2023, the Tesla was found abandoned by a lease owner in Liberty County, Florida, parked between Turkey Creek Road and Prison Road in an area known as the Stokes Site. Nick was nowhere to be found.
The car had little charge left, but was still in working order. The windshield was damaged after it seemingly drove under a cable, with white transfer paint from the car being found on a cable about a mile and a half away from where the car was was found.
Authorities contacted the person Nick rented the vehicle from who was able to remotely unlock the vehicle. Two phones were found inside, as well as a change of clothing and a drone believed to have been used for Nick’s job.
One of the phones was in Nick’s name, and the other was in his wife’s who was staying at a rehab facility where personal phones are not allowed.
A search of the area was conducted by the Liberty County Sheriff’s Department, with the help of canine and aerial units, but no clues as to Nick’s whereabouts were found.
Liberty County Sheriff Buddy Money stated “There were hardly any footprints around the car. Something’s not adding up.”
Whereabouts
The location of Nicholas Downey, as well as the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, remains unknown. His case is classified as endangered missing and remains unsolved.
Appearance
White male born on January 1, 1986. Nick has brown hair and green/hazel eyes. It is unknown what he was wearing at the time of his disappearance.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Nicholas Downey please contact the Liberty County Sheriff’s Department at (850) 643-2235.
