Family of missing 26-year-old James Montoya pleads for help one week after his disappearance
CASE UPDATE: Remains of James Montoya were found
A Lakewood family is sharing an emotional plea for help in the week-old missing persons case of their son, who went missing after leaving a bar. Before his disappearance, 26-year-old James Montoya had a lot to look forward to.
"He was ready to go to the Marines in a month and a half from now and he's really excited. That was his dream," said his father Eddie Montoya.
His family describes him as extremely extraverted.
"He loves people and he loves God and he loves life," said Eddie Montoya.
So it wasn't unusual for his son to spend his Saturday night playing pool and making friends at Hangar 101 Bar in Lakewood.
Security footage shows James Montoya getting in a car and leaving with a Hispanic man around 2:30 a.m. on April 2. It appears he may have met him that night.
"They must have offered him a ride or something," said Eddie Montoya.
His son sent a Snapchat later that night, but hasn't been heard from since.
"That morning, his girlfriend texted me like 'Hey can you call him? He hasn't been answering me,'" said his sister Jaali Montoya.
When her brother didn't answer their calls Sunday, his family reported him missing.
"As a mom, as you can imagine, it's almost unreal. It's like living in a nightmare and you just wish and pray that it will be over," said his mother Corinna Montoya.
One week later, the Montoya family is still searching for their missing family member. They spent their Saturday combing the banks of the South Platte River, looking for "anything and everything."
"Our hearts are ripped apart, we are just doing everything we can," said Corinna Montoya.
"He's always there to protect me all the time. He would just call a lot and we would just laugh," said Jaali, "It's just weird not having those phone calls anymore."
James left his car at home that night, and his family says there has been no activity on his debit cards. Denver police are investigating, but say they have no update to share. The family says they were told police have some promising leads.
"We just are trying to stay positive, stay hopeful, stay prayerful," Corinna said.
The family is clinging to hope, and begging any potential witnesses to come forward.
"Be bold. Be the person that you know you would want somebody else to be for you or your child. Speak up," Corinna said.
James is 5-foot 11-inches tall and 200 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a dark blue sport coat, light blue slacks, and brown shoes. If you have any information, call Denver Police at 720-913-2000 and reference DPD case #23-169948.