This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Police are still searching for a 32-year-old man who vanished last November.

Stephen Maybir moved from Hawaii to Independence more than a year ago, and his family in Oahu just found out in March that he’s missing.

Since then, Maybir’s sister, Sheree Maybir, has been in contact with the Independence Police Department. She said the latest update is from detectives who told her a highway patrol trooper spotted Maybir hitchhiking on November 24.

Maybir told the trooper he was headed to Iowa. Sheree said she doesn’t know of any family there.

“Not knowing is the scary part,” Sheree said.

Sheree and her mother Terisa haven’t heard from Maybir since October.

“It’s been so long and it’s not like him to not stay in touch with us,” Sheree said.

This is the day he left Hawaii and moved to be with his father and uncle in Independence.

“I know he’s a 32-year-old man, but he’s still my baby,” Terisa said.

“Christmas went by,” Sheree explained, “New Years went by and we still haven’t heard from him.”

Sheree reached out to friends in Hawaii and family in Independence — no one knew where he went.

“I didn’t want to alarm my mom just yet,” Sheree said. “So I started going on Google, looking up his name.” And she found an active missing persons report for her brother.

“It said missing since November,” Sheree said. “And you know of course at that time I did not know what to do.”

Sheree called the Independence Police Department. They said her uncle notified authorities of Stephen’s disappearance March 7.

“The fact that it had been a good almost five months since this person had been seen it definitely brings it up a little bit on our radar,” Officer John Syme with the Independence Police Department said.

Sheree told Stephen’s friends and family in Hawaii.

“No one knew that he was officially missing,” Sheree said.

Terisa said not knowing if her son is alive is the worst thing a parent can experience.

“I love you son,” Terisa said, “Just come home or call.”

Different states and time zones made talking difficult, but Sheree said Maybir always found ways to keep in touch.

“He would always message us and be like ‘Sis, sis are you there? Hello, we’re family?’ “And be like ‘Hey, how’s my babies doing?'”

Sheree said he’s a father figure to his many nieces and nephews. Now, his mom only asks one thing of her first born.

“Baby, please come home to mommy,” Terisa cried.

Police said Maybir has not touched his bank account in six months. Anybody with information about his disappearance should contact the Independence Police Department at (816) 325-7300.

39.091116 -94.415507