Louisiana Man Missing for 3 Days Found Naked After Harrowing Ordeal

Estherwood, LA (KPEL News) - The Estherwood man missing since Wednesday, June 5, has returned to his family. His mother began pleading for help to locate him when he disappeared after allegedly being dropped off near a rice mill on Louisiana Hwy 90 in Mermentau.

Bernie Myers tells KPEL News that her son Gavin went through an unbelievable ordeal during the three days he was missing. She says he was with two women and got separated from them in a remote, swampy area near the mill. According to Ms. Myers, the family had asked the women where Gavin was, and they initially denied knowing his whereabouts. After 24 hours, the women told her what happened.

Meanwhile, Gavin says he fell into a body of water in the area and began experiencing paranoia, hunger, and dehydration. He stripped out of his wet clothes. He told his mother that he laid on the ground, heard people calling his name, but wasn't able to respond.

Naked, he made his way to the nearby railroad tracks to try and find help. A family eating at a local restaurant saw him, picked Gavin up, and called his family.

Ms. Myers tells us that he was severely dehydrated and covered in mosquito bites and cuts.

On Saturday, June 8, she posted the following message on Facebook:

ORIGINAL STORY (Friday, June 7, 2024)

Estherwood, LA (KPEL News) - An Estherwood, Louisiana, mother is pleading for help to find her son who has been missing since Wednesday.

According to family members, the ex-wife of 35-year-old Gavin Myers saw him Tuesday night at 10:00. His mother was in contact with him Wednesday morning. He and his ex-wife remain friends, and she became concerned when she couldn't get in touch with him later on Wednesday, nor did any of his other friends know where he was.

The family does know that someone dropped him off in Mermentau, near a rice mill on Hwy 90, but they say the stories about exactly when and where are inconsistent.

Gavin lives an itinerant lifestyle, between his mother's house in Estherwood and a house in Crowley. Family members initially contacted Crowley Police, but then reached out to the Mermentau Police Department when they realized where he may have been last. They say he could be in the Jennings area, as well.

His aunt told us that they are searching a wooded area behind the rice mill facility, and the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Department will be flying a drone over the area for any sign of Gavin.

Gavin has struggled with drugs and recently told family he wanted to get and stay clean. As you can imagine, they are immensely worried about his welfare. He is approximately 5'8 inches tall (give or take an inch), weighs about 150 pounds, and has blonde hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to call your local police department.