Description

James Edward Lewis, of Fayetteville, NC, left home on October 3, 1982 in a white Ford Fiesta. He told his family that he was going to Vero Beach, FL to interview for a job ferrying Piper airplanes from the dealer to buyers. Jim Lewis was a recently-retired major with 25 years in the US Army -- a Ranger, founding member of the "Golden Knights" U. S. Army Parachute Team, a highly-decorated and wounded Vietnam veteran, a skilled pilot with commercial and seaplane ratings, as well as a dedicated husband and father. It was his habit on trips away from home to stay in phone contact with his wife; however, after his October 3 departure, he did not call home. In January 1983, Ms. Lewis received a call from a parking-lot attendant at the Fayetteville Municipal Airport informing her that the Ford Fiesta had been parked in the long-term lot since October 6, and was accumulating fees. The family reported the discovery of the vehicle to Fayetteville police, but the car was repossessed by the finance company before authorities investigated. In 1992, reading a news report of remains found in a nearby county, The family contacted the Hoke County Sheriff's Department but the discovered remains were determined to be those of another deceased. Soon after, The family had James Lewis declared legally dead. However, his remains were never found