The latest local news, weather and high school sports in and around Columbia and Jefferson City

Fifty-five-year-old Billie Basinger, or better known as JR, has been gone for more than a week now.

JR’s wife, Glenda Basinger said, "I'm not used to being without him for a day, let alone a week."

Glenda Basinger say she hasn't seen or heard from her husband of three years since the early morning hours last Tuesday when he left their Wilton home with $10 and a half tank of gas.

Glenda said, "I woke up at 3:00 a.m. and he wasn't in the living room where he was when I went to sleep. Went into the bedroom to look for him and he wasn't there."

JR stands 6-foot one, 175 pounds and Glenda says he was an outdoorsman, so it wasn't out of the ordinary for him to make the trip to the river bottoms. For the past week, dozens of family and friends have been out searching for this husband, dad and grandpa.

Glenda said, "Walked into caves. We've walked hillsides, a lot of the bluffs. Absolutely covering every area over and over."

The family tells me JR was suffering from depression, but police say at this point the investigation is being treated as a missing person case, and not suicide.

Detective Tom O'Sullivan with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department said they've had a few leads, but nothing successful, including one from JR’s cell phone company.

Detective Tom O'Sullivan said, "When we first contacted them to try and ping the phone, they were getting a single from the Centertown tower.”

Glenda says JR left their home in his truck, a dark green 2000 Toyota Tundra

Detective O'Sullivan said, "Once we find the truck, we will find Mr. Basinger."

Also with him was the couple's dog Otis who would be hard to miss, he’s a 185 pound Newfoundland.    

Glenda said, "R has always been there for me. I will not give up on him. I can't."

Police say JR’s cell phone is now either turned off or out of battery. 

If you have any information on this case, you're asked to call police.