Search for Pender County man continues nearly 3 years after disappearance

PENDER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - Almost three years after Robert Bonham first went missing, his family and community continue to search for a sign of where he may be.

A rally to find Bonham Saturday brought dozens of first responders and volunteers to Penderlea School, where they went out in teams to search through the woods in the area Bonham was last seen.

“As these people go out, I want them to be able to find something, but then again I don’t, because I want to keep a little bit of hope that someday my son will show back up,” said his mother Sarah Bonham.

Robert Bonham was first reported missing on June 29, 2020. He was 51 years old at the time of his disappearance.

Law enforcement found his car in the Penderlea area near Pelham road a couple weeks later, but he was never found.

Since then, Robert’s friends, family and the community have continued searching the areas he might be in for human remains or another sign that could point to where he may have gone. For his mother, it’s been what she describes as a three-year-long nightmare.

“You go to bed at night and that’s on your mind, and when you wake up – if you get to sleep – that is on your mind, and I’m sure any parent that has a missing child knows that,” Sarah said.

Now, his family is asking the community to contact the Pender County Sheriff’s Office if anyone has information about where Robert may be in hopes of finally finding closure.

“It would be devastating but at least I would know,” Sarah said. “I would know what happened, and where, with my son.”

Anyone with information can contact the Pender County Sheriff’s Office at 910-259-1212.

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