Brian “Wags” Wagaman was out of town on June 24 when he got an alarming Facebook message from his younger brother’s boss: 33-year-old Tyler Wagaman hadn’t shown up for work in nearly two weeks.
The elder Wagaman tried to give his brother a call, but his phone went straight to voicemail. Tyler Wagaman’s social media has been silent since June 12, and there’s been no activity on his Xbox account since June 14.
“He goes to work, comes home, and plays his video games,” Wags said. “That’s his entire life.”
His bank account’s last transactions were also recorded on June 14.
One linked to a food delivery app and the other to a Circle K in Morgan County. Wags’ family believes the Circle K location was near IN-44 in Waverly, between Martinsville and Indianapolis. Tyler lives in Greenwood.
His black Ford F-150 is missing, too. Wags is asking the public to stay vigilant for tire marks going off the road, or other signs of a recent crash like crushed trees or mailboxes.
“Our biggest fear is that he ran off the road somewhere and is trapped,” Wags said.
Wags confirmed that the black pickup found on June 24 in the White River does not belong to his brother.
After filing a missing person report with the Greenwood Police Department, Wags put out the alert online.
Wags has a much bigger reach than most: there are more than 1.4 million followers across his social media platforms. He’s built a dedicated fanbase throughout the world by posting about his life as a tow-truck driver. He first went viral in 2020 with videos of Opal, his late feline copilot, who rocked a custom-made high-visibility vest and a studded collar.
“I know there’s not much more that I can physically do than drive around,” Wags said while discussing his brother’s disappearance in a livestream on June 25. “I think my biggest tool to help is social media. I can reach tons of people and get his picture out there, so that’s where my resources are best used, I think.”
Shortly after Wags posted that video, his brother’s property manager checked on his apartment and found that while Tyler Wagaman wasn’t home, there were no signs of anything amiss.
Police are in the process of obtaining the missing man’s phone records, his brother said.
Wags said his brother is an introverted, soft-spoken guy who keeps to himself. It’s not like him to drop off the grid without warning.
Tyler Wagaman missing from Greenwood since June 14
Tyler Wagaman is a white male with blue eyes and brown hair. His hair was cut short at the time of his disappearance.
The Indiana Missing Persons Bulletin lists June 14 as the date Wagaman was last seen.
Anybody with information is asked to contact Assistant Chief Matthew Fillenwarth and fillenwm@greenwood.in.gov.
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘Tow Truck Wags’ asks for help to find brother missing from Greenwood
Reporting by Ryan Murphy, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ryan Murphy, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
