Cumberland County detectives have found several good leads since they began searching for William James Simon last month. What they haven’t found is his body.
Simon, 61, disappeared March 19 and hasn’t been heard from or seen since.
He’s a good person, said Lt. Charlie Disponzio, a hard worker with no criminal history or known drug problems who did what he should. He was a family guy who never went long without talking to his grandchildren or his estranged wife, Elizabeth Simon.
“We feel confident he has not disappeared of his own free will,” Lt. Disponzio said. “There are grandchildren who want to see their granddad again.”
A few days a week, Simon drove a taxicab, which was discovered near a radio tower off Rosser Street in Spring Lake Friday, March 21. Other than his Bible, left in the front seat, there was no sign of Simon. Within three days, county authorities announced they were treating the case as a homicide investigation.
The search for Simon has focused on the Spring Lake area, and Lt. Disponzio said he is certain someone in that area saw Simon or a passenger in the cab in the early morning of March 19. He is urging that person to come forward.
“Little by little, we are establishing what we think are the last hours of this cab driver’s life,” he said, adding investigators hope the public will help them do that. “We are looking for anyone who saw him in Spring Lake.”
The cab company Simon worked for is small, Lt. Disponzio said, with only three vehicles. The owner would let Simon and the other drivers “freelance” from time to time, and Simon typically would work the Bragg Boulevard area, carrying bar-goers home and returning for another fare.
The shift Simon worked in the early morning hours of March 19 was like any other except for one thing, Lt. Disponzio said. During that shift, Simon likely “came across his killer.”
If you have any information, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED (1.866.439.2683) or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.
