Looking for Wade

Losing a family member or friend unexpectedly is cause for grief and concern. But when a family member disappears without explanation, the grief and concern are heightened by fear of the unknown.

Members of Wade Lurk's family in Ste. Genevieve have been living with all the emotions and fears that occur when a teenage son is missing. Wade, 17, was last seen April 1 at a campsite near the border of Ste. Genevieve and St. Francois counties.

Since then, hundreds of searchers have spent thousands of hours looking for him, and law enforcement officials have sought every piece of information that might lead to Wade's whereabouts.

Wade is described by all who know him as a good student -- a senior -- at Valle Catholic High School and active in the Vincentian Marian Youth, an organization dedicated to serving the poor. He is a starter on the Valle baseball team and is enrolled to begin classes at Missouri State University this fall. All of this makes the circumstances of his abrupt disappearance all the more worrisome.

Officials are looking for any piece of information that will help them find Wade. He was driving a 1990 Nissan Stanza with license-plate number 720-WCC. A $25,000 reward is being offered for information.

Anyone who can help is asked to call the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Department at (573) 883-5215 or (573) 883-5820.