With Son's Disappearance Gone Cold, Dad Makes an Offer

"I think it's time to bring him home," says Richard Johnson, and he's putting up a huge reward in hopes of making that happen. The man from Boulder, Colo., is referring to son Ryder, who hasn't been seen since Jan. 17. The 20-year-old was seen at 3pm on that day, just after his shift at the Eldora Ski Resort near Nederland; there have been no confirmed sightings since and leads have dried up, reports the Daily Camera. Ryder Johnson's car was found parked at Gross Dam Road that evening, and the Gross Reservoir was searched afterward. Now, friends and family have put together a $100,000 reward for information leading to the younger Johnson, the arrest of anyone potentially involved, or items he had on him when he vanished.

The Denver Channel reports the reward's distribution will be at the family's discretion. "It's been pretty frustrating," said Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle in early February. "They're just not finding anything," he said of his investigation. The Camera reported that foul play is possible, but there's no evidence to that end. The other "working theories" are that he went into the mountains and harmed himself, or vanished to start a new life. Pelle called those two the "strongest possibilities." A severed foot found in a hiking boot in June at the ski resort was determined not to belong to Johnson; KDVR reports 180 acres around the resort were searched after the boot was found. The reward will expire on Jan. 17, 2017. (More missing person stories.)