ALLIANCE ‒ The last time Stephanie Miller saw her son Nate, she gave him a hug, said goodnight and went to bed. He gave her a kiss.
Miller never imagined it would be the last time she would see her son.
Nathaniel “Nate” Hang, 20, has been missing since June 3 after he left home in Alliance at 3 a.m. in a white 2010 GMC Canyon pickup.
He suffers from schizophrenia and other medical issues.
“It has been a nightmare,” Miller said.
Police Lt. Chris McCord said June 8 that there were no tangible updates at this time and neither Hang nor the truck have been found.
McCord also said there have been “a lot of sightings” but all have been inaccurate or unfounded, and many of them were before he left the house on June 3.
Here’s what we know.
Unusual move: Hang didn’t take his phone or wallet
Nate Hang, the son of John Hang and Stephanie Miller, graduated from West Branch High School in 2024. He was a wrestler there. His father said Nate Hang is an avid outdoorsman and has skills to survive the wilderness.
He has five siblings − Steven, Gavin, McKenzie and Whitney − and lives with his mom and stepfather Jay Miller on Oxford Street.
The last person in the family to see him was Gavin, for a few minutes.
Miller said her son has experienced similar episodes before, but they typically lasted only a few hours and he always came home. He never left his wallet or phone.
This time, Hang didn’t take his phone or wallet, and he stopped the location app Life 360 on his phone before he left.
“The only other time he turned it off was when he picked up a homeless man,” Miller said.
Family said he might have cash on him but they are not certain.
They also stressed Hang’s truck is small, single cab with two doors. It has dark rims. Some of the missing posters created on Facebook show a large, four-door truck.
Search parties, drones and boats have been deployed
The family has received community support from volunteers − including members of SOZO Church − searching across multiple counties.
Drone operators Travis Muncy of Top Dog Deer Recovery and Sarak Oaks of Compassionate Paws have also assited, providing aerial searches.
“I got 94 pinned marks from the skating rink all the way up to his mom’s house, and from his mom’s house to his dad’s house,” Muncy said.
The nonprofit search and rescue team SAR Sheps, from Fredericktown, Ohio, also helped, providing water searches at Deer Creek Reservoir and Berlin Lake.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to defray costs.
“I just hope we can get more and more people out to look for him,” Miller said with a strained voice from yelling for her son. “Because our family will never be the same. We need help.”
Steven Hang, who has become the primary spokesman, said he believes his brother went north on State Route 225 toward Starlite Skating Rink.
The reservoir − which Nate Hang frequented − and lake are accessible from Route 225. His truck never passed the rink’s security cameras.
“We have camera footage of certain roads that he went down,” Steven Hang said, but they don’t indicate if his brother turned back or turned elsewhere.
Unsavory: Family is getting harassed, targeted by scams
Meanwhile, the family has become the target of digital threats. Police confirmed it. Family members shared some of the messages.
For example, an international number has sent Steven Hang multiple text messages demanding a ransom for his brother, and texted him a violent AI image.
The family has been “inundated with online predators trying to provide intentionally distressing and upsetting messages,” to scam them, McCord said. “It’s heartbreaking people would try to take advantage of a family going through this.”
Hang’s father John said he feels they are close to finding him.
“He’s one of the most kind-hearted kids.”
Those with information should contact Alliance Police Department at 330-821-9140.
Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: ‘We need help.’ Family searches for Alliance man missing since June 3
Reporting by Benjamin Duer, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Benjamin Duer, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
