Officials respond to family’s questions

RUSK – Missing 57-year-old David Blount’s brother, Billy Blount, shared a letter on Friday calling for action and stating that the City of Rusk has “failed his brother, his family, and every resident who expects transparency.” The open letter arrived in the KETK newsroom on Friday afternoon, calling for accountability from those investigating his brother’s Dec. 2 disappearance.

“We have watched in disbelief as the City of Rusk turned what should have been a straightforward investigation into a masterclass in stonewalling and self-preservation,” David’s brother Billy said. “Thank God for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department and the Texas Rangers who stepped up in our family’s time of desperate need.”

Our news partner KETK shared the letter with the City of Rusk and the Rusk Police Department, who responded with a statement sent directly to our newsroom.

“The City of Rusk and the Rusk Police Department sincerely hope that James David Blount is found safe and that his family, including Billy Blount, finds peace during this difficult time,” the statement from the city said. “The City would like to clarify the current status of this matter. The Blount case remains an open missing person investigation and is actively being handled by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers. While the Rusk Police Department is no longer the lead investigating agency and has transferred its records and involvement to those agencies, the investigation itself remains ongoing.”

Billy read the response and shared his thoughts about how leaders are sidestepping the issue.

“It was just a classic dodge, just like they’ve been doing, they keep saying they handed the lead over, but they’ve not produced one document saying that the leads have been handed over to anybody,” Billy said. “They need to answer for what they’ve not done on the case when they had it. They’ve had it for almost five months now and we’ve got zero response from the city in this whole deal. I mean, we’ve learned nothing in five months.”

Blount was last seen near his residence on Dec. 2. Four days later, his vehicle was discovered on Highway 84 near the Neches River.

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office deputies have since searched David’s house, the woods behind it and the area near the river several times, but no answers have been found.

Anyone with information about Blount’s disappearance may be elligble to receive a $25,000 reward and is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 903-683-2271.