On March 23, 1988, Leroy Mills, Sr. was reported missing by a neighbor after noticing that Mills had not been following his normal routine for approximately one week. A preliminary investigation conducted by the Lake City Police Department revealed no signs of foul play at the time of the investigation, though the circumstances surrounding Mills' disappearance remained under investigation. A few days later, Mills' wallet was discovered in the dumpster at a local restaurant, Weggie's Place, situated on US Highway 441 in Lake City. A comprehensive search was conducted by multiple agencies, including swamps, forestry, neighborhood canvassing, and desolate highways. Despite the search locating human remains, they were determined to be unrelated to Mills.