Thomas Harris was last seen Jan. 2, at night, in Boothbay fiddling with his home fuel tank. Nobody has seen him since. For nearly a year, law enforcement has searched for Harris without any success.

Harris, 61, of Boothbay has lived for several years with his roommate. They had recently moved into a new trailer and Butler Road neighbors reported seeing him outside “moving stuff around the yard” and “doing other odd jobs,” said Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Michael Murphy.

On Jan. 2, Harris and his roommate hosted a few friends at their home. Afterwards, she went to bed, and Harris was later seen tending to the fuel tank by neighbors. On Jan. 4, she filed a missing person’s report.

“It’s frustrating,” Murphy said. “It just seems, odd. like he stepped off the Earth. You can’t count the number of hours Det. (Ryan) Chubbuck has spent on the case.”

Nevertheless, investigators are still working the case despite few concrete clues.

Harris has lived in the Boothbay region since the early 2000s. He wasn’t employed, but Murphy believed he receives a disability check. Harris takes prescription drugs for diabetes, but Murphy described Harris’ overall heath as “fair.” Harris is a white male with brown graying hair and blue eyes. He is five feet, 10 inches and 120 pounds. He was last seen wearing black camo pants and work boots. His remaining family includes a brother in Florida. Chubbuck has spoken to the brother a few times on the phone. “His brother said, ‘he hadn’t heard from him which wasn’t unusual because they didn’t keep in close contact’,” he said. 

Harris was previously married while living in New Hampshire. Chubbuck reported Harris’ former wife hadn’t heard from him in years.

But the mystery began on Jan. 3 when the roommate discovered Harris’ truck running and no sign of him. She checked his whereabouts with friends and neighbors that day, but no one had seen him in days. Investigators found his wallet and cell phone in the trailer.

On Jan. 4, the sheriff’s department’s patrol division began the investigation. On Jan. 5, Chubbuck became the lead investigator and looked under the trailer to see if Harris was there. A few days later, Chubbuck crawled under the trailer for a more extensive search. Nothing.

An intensive manhunt began with the sheriff’s department receiving assistance from the Maine State Police, Maine Warden’s Service and U.S. Border Patrol. The first day covered 80 acres, and other searches resulted in covering 200-plus total acres near Butler Road, said Chubbuck. On Jan. 16, Maine Warden’s Service searched a quarry and two ponds near Harris’ residence with a submersible rover. The search took eight hours. Again, no results.

Investigators placed Harris’ information on the state’s Missing Person’s Data Base and National Crime Information Center. “So, if somebody runs his name, it will show up,” Murphy said.

Harris’ story is also on social media which has resulted in some unsubstantiated tips. Sightings were reported at a Bangor bank and Biddeford Mexican restaurant. Another came from Minnesota. “We contacted law enforcement who tracked down the videos, and sent it back here,” Murphy said. 

Murphy has 40 years' experience in law enforcement and Chubbuck has 10. They have both experienced other challenging unsolved cases. “But most are resolved, but not all” Murphy said.

When leads dry up, Lincoln County detectives  hold occasional brainstorming sessions to review the case. "This is very frustrating. A group of us will sit down and throw ideas out, and go over everything thinking maybe we missed something,” he said.

Despite a lack of progress, Murphy is hopeful in solving the case. “Somebody out there must know something. So we’re hoping more publicity will result in finding out what happened,” he said. 

Anyone having information on Harris’ whereabouts is asked to contact Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at (207) 882-7332 or email Deputy Jeff Rogers jrogers@lincolnso.me or Chubbuck rchubbuck@lincolnso.me or text LTIP or send to 847411 with any information to an anonymous link on Facebook or lincolncountymaine.me/sheriff-s-office.

Murphy said all tips would be confidential.