The father of a missing 24-year-old Tempe man expressed his concerns Thursday about his son’s disappearance after a weekend party.
Willie Jigba was last seen early Saturday morning leaving the party in Tempe. Police said he left on foot after being unable to find a ride home.
Family members were contacted Sunday evening after Jigba didn’t show up for the first day of work at his new job.
Willie’s father, Emmanuel Jigba, came to Phoenix on Wednesday from his home in California. He plans to stay the rest of the week in order to work with police and speak with those who knew Willie.
Willie Jigba is described as an African American male about 6 feet tall and 185 pounds.
At Thursday’s press conference, Emmanuel Jigba said his son’s disappearance was unexpected and that he is very worried about him.
He first heard about his son’s disappearance Sunday from his daughter-in-law, who saw a Facebook page dedicated to finding Willie. Emmanuel Jigba immediately contacted police and has plans to meet with Willie’s friends throughout the week to try and find out more information about where his son could be.
For the past four months, Emmanuel Jigba said he only had contact with his son through e-mail, but added that it’s not like Willie to leave for days without notifying anyone.
Emmanuel Jigba doesn’t believe foul play is involved with Willie’s disappearance.
“Willie has a lot of friends,” he said. “He is friendly to everyone.”
A Facebook page has been created to spread awareness of Willie’s disappearance. More than a thousand people have joined the page.
Friends of Willie, including some ASU students, have been posting fliers around the Tempe campus with the 24-year-old’s photo.
Tempe Police spokesman Sgt. Steve Carbajal said authorities are actively searching for Willie.
Tempe Police is searching around the Tempe Town Lake area and surrounding parks. They are also monitoring Willie’s Facebook account and financial information to see if there is any recent activity.
Carbajal said what would help the most in the search is for anyone who has any information to inform the police.
“No amount of information is too small to help in this case,” he said.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Tempe Police Department at 480-350-8311.
Reach the reporter at danielle.legler@asu.edu
