Larry Ballard

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Cass County Sheriffs Office Tx (TX)

Missing From:

Douglassville, Texas

Summary:

Larry Bob Ballard Jr., known as Bob, was a 56-year-old welder who disappeared on April 27, 2023, from Douglassville, Texas. His truck became stuck on County Road 2116 and he left on foot to seek help. His belongings, wallet, phone, and keys were left in the locked truck. Despite extensive search efforts including tracking dogs and volunteer searches, he has never been found.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

On April 27, 2023, Larry Bob Ballard got his truck stuck on the side of the road in Douglassville and his wife Connie's brother went to help him. Around 11:30 p.m., Connie's brother came back — but Bob wasn't with him. Connie said her brother told her, 'He didn't want to leave the truck down there. He got the truck unstuck, but the tire was off the rim.' Connie called Bob and he said, 'I'll be back tomorrow. Your brother's going to bring me a tire.' The next morning, on Friday April 28, Connie's brother got up early to bring Bob a tire, but when he arrived, Bob wasn't there. When they looked in Bob's truck, all of his belongings were still inside: his wallet, phone, cigarettes, dip, and beer. Like he just vanished. His wife called the police, who tracked the location of Ballard's phone. Whoever had the phone was not moving fast enough to be in a vehicle; they were probably on foot. The pings indicated the person with the phone was walking towards the area north of Douglassville around Hwy 8 and County Road 2122. Law enforcement and volunteers searched for Ballard into the afternoon, and the next day a game warden took a tracking dog to the truck. After the authorities were done with the truck, Ballard's wife found her husband's phone sitting on the console of the vehicle.

Additional Details:

Connie told Dateline that she and her husband met 17 years ago when she worked as a dog groomer. According to Connie, Bob's truck was extremely important to him because welders use it for their work. His wife does not believe he would have left of his own accord, in spite of his substance abuse problem. Connie told Dateline that there were several searches done for Bob, with bodies of water being searched as well. An extensive search turned up no indication of Ballard's whereabouts. His case remains unsolved. A gathering was held on the one-year anniversary with Sandy Sanders, whose son went missing in 2017, to create awareness of missing people.

Case Last Updated:

May 07, 2026