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WEBVTT COMING FROM FAR AWAY TO HELPIN THE SEARCH.REPORTER: DAKOTA JAMES' FAMILYIS FROM FREDERICK, MARYLANDABOUT THREE HOURS AWAY.OVER A DOZEN OF THEM WITH MOREON THE WAY HAVE COME HERE TOPITTSBURGH TO AID IN THE SEARCHFOR THE ONE THEY CALL CODY, TOTRY AND BRING HIM HOME.>> EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.REPORTER: LOVE AND DESPERATION.>> WE ARE TRYING TO GET THE WORDOUTER WERE MEASURED IN STEPS.>> IT'S PRETTY HARD.REPORTER: AND STRIPS OF TAPE.>> WE JUST GOT TO KEEP MOVING.REPORTER: SHANE JAMES ISDAKOTA'S OLDER BROTHER COMING TOPITTSBURGH TO HELP WITH THESEARCH.TODAY ONE TEAM OF AT LEAST FOURWALKING AROUND ASKING ANYONE IFTHEY KNOW ANYTHING.>> IT'S SLOW GOING AND WEHAVEN'T REALLY, YOU KNOW, IHAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING.REPORTER: PITTSBURGH POLICE SAYDAKOTA JAMES WAS LAST SEENAROUND DOWNTOWN ABOUT 11:30WEDNESDAY NIGHT.HIS FAMILY WAS TOLD THE23-YEAR-OLD DUQUESNE GRADUATESTUDENT'S PHONE ALSO PINGEDALONG GRANT STREET AROUND THERE.JAMES' AUNT, ANAL LOUISIANAMEADOWS.>> WE ARANGELA MEADOWS.>> ANY CALL INS ANY LEADS PLEASESHARE.REPORTER: DAKOTA'S FATHER JEFFWHO SAYS THE ENTIRE FAMILY ISSTRUGGLING.HE SAYS HIS SON ALWAYS STAYEDOUT OF TROUBLE AND WON'T BE THETYPE TO JUST GO SILENT.>> I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO PUTTHAT IN WORDS.HOW IT'S JUST NOT -- YOU KNOW,THERE -- SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED.REPORTER: THIS FAMILY IS INTENSEON HELPING POLICE FIGURE OUTJUST WHAT THE SOMETHING WAS.FOR NOW, THEY KEEP WALKING,TAPING AND HOPING.>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.>> IF WE DON'T KEEP MOVING WHATELSE ARE WE GOING TO DO.REPORTER: PITTSBURGH POLICETELLS ME TONIGHT THE MISSINGPERSON'S UNIT IS ACTIVELYINVESTIGATING THIS CASE.THEY SAID THEY ARE FOLLOWINGSEVERAL LEADS AND ASKING ANYONEWITH ANY INFORMATION TO GIVETHEM A CALL.

Advertisement Missing Duquesne student's family offers $10,000 reward as search continues Dakota James, 23, was last seen in downtown Pittsburgh around 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 25. Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A massive foot search for a Duquesne University grad student who has been missing for more than a week will be held Saturday morning on the North Shore. Anyone who wants to help look for Dakota James can join the group effort that will start at the Hyatt Place hotel on North Shore Drive at 9 a.m. A Facebook event called "Let's Help Find Dakota Leo James" has been created. James' family has said they will pay $10,000 for information to help find the 23-year-old man, who lives on the North Side and works for J.B. Hunt. He was last seen Jan. 25 in front of the Wood Street T station downtown around 11:49 p.m. Tips can be shared with Pittsburgh police at 412-323-7141. "We've walked every street in this town, and we need that person who knows what we don't know to come forward to help us find my son," said James' father, Jeff. "While tips are coming in, more information is needed to locate their son," said Larry Faletta, a private investigator. The James family is from Frederick, Maryland. When they learned that Dakota was missing, many of them made the three-hour drive to Pittsburgh on Monday to canvass, put up fliers and help police in any way they could. "We're just trying to get the word out to find him. Anybody who knows anything -- please," said his aunt, Angela Meadows. Dakota James was seen around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday in the area near Market Square. The family said police told them his cellphone pinged in the area near Grant Street around that time as well. James is believed to have finished work at Station Square before making his way to meet a friend downtown. It's unclear when he went missing. A group of at least four walked around the downtown area Monday, asking people if they knew anything about James. "It's slow going, and we really haven't heard anything," said James' brother, Shayne. Jeff James said it's unlike his son to suddenly go silent. "We've been asked all kinds of questions about whether he was a drug addict or drinker or had a history of running away. That is a complete 180 away from his personality," Jeff James said. "It's just devastating to think that he's out there. You know? Hurt, alone, cold. He doesn't like to be cold. It's killing me going to bed at night knowing that he's not home." Dakota James is described as white, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 145 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes and a chinstrap beard. Both of his ears are pierced, with an extra earring on the upper part of his right earlobe. One ankle has a triangle tattoo; his family's "missing" poster describes it as a "Deathly Hallows" tattoo from Harry Potter. He was wearing blue jeans, an olive green hooded sweatshirt and tan slipper-style shoes.