Parents offer reward for info on missing Antioch man: ‘He just kind of vanished without a trace’

The parents of Thomas “Tommy” Howe III, a 24-year-old from Antioch missing since Jan. 22, are offering a $10,000 reward for information on his whereabouts after he last was seen walking away from a crash near the Libertyville area.

Howe’s family announced the reward Friday during a news conference at Antioch Village Hall.

Tom Howe described his son as a selfless, humble, dependable person who takes care to ensure everyone feels included.

“He loves his family. He loves all of his friends. And he’s earned the love and respect of all of us,” said Tom Howe, his voice catching. “He’s the first person to drop everything else he’s doing to help someone else out. ... He’s the type of person we all strive to be.”

Police said Howe, who is 5-foot-8, weighs 165 pounds and has brown hair and eyes, was involved in a two-vehicle crash about 11 a.m. Jan. 22 on northbound Interstate 94 near Route 176.

“He just kind of vanished without a trace,” Antioch police Cmdr. Chuck Smith said.

A witness reported seeing him walking across the southbound lanes of I-94 into the Old School Forest Preserve, Smith said, adding, Howe is “not the person you would expect to walk away from an accident.”

Howe’s vehicle was inoperable and was towed. His cellphone was found in his car at the tow yard, Smith said.

His work phone was recovered during one of several extensive searches of the Old School Forest Preserve. Libertyville police and fire departments, forest preserve police, members of the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group and the Wauconda Fire Department participated in the searches along with hundreds of volunteers, including handlers and police dogs from the Illinois-Wisconsin Search and Rescue Dogs of McHenry County.

On Wednesday, three teams of 12 police dogs searched an area just outside the preserve, Smith said.

“We have had some credible tips that have given us direction on other places to search,” he said.

Howe was wearing a gray North Face jacket and jeans the day he went missing.

Police have been monitoring Howe’s social media, digital footprint and financials for activity, village spokesman Jim Moran said, but there has been none.

Family members said there was no indication anything was wrong, Moran said.

“They planned on having him home for lunch,” Moran said. “There was nothing that raised any red flags.”

“Someone somewhere has to know something,” Howe family spokesman Matthew DeMartini said.

Antioch police urge anyone who may have seen Howe to call the department’s dispatch center at 847-270-9111. Anyone with information also can call 911 or Antioch police at 847-395-8585.

• Daily Herald staff writer Mick Zawislak contributed to this report.

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