Cold Case Files: Disabled Hope Mills man missing since 2002, declared dead

HOPE MILLS, N.C. (WNCT) — On March 10, 2002, Kent Jacobs went on a walk that he would never return from.

Jacobs was born in raised in Hope Mills, alongside his four younger siblings. One thing set Kent apart from his family though, and that was that he was developmentally disabled. He had the mental capacity of a nine-year-old. His siblings said that this did not stop him from participating in normal life.

“I mean, he was just a big brother. If you met him, yeah, maybe you would notice that there was a, you know, a delay there, but not anything, you know, that kept him from doing what he wanted. You know, doing things he loved,” said Kim Baber, Kent’s sister.

When Kent was around age 20, his mother sent him to live in a group home. She would go pick him up on Fridays and Kent would spend the weekends at home.

One Sunday, a week before his birthday, Kent went for a walk around the neighborhood. Kent’s family said that he loved to go on long walks and would return home before his curfew at 5 p.m. He would never come back home that day.

Kent’s mom knew something was wrong when Kent wasn’t back an hour after his curfew. She immediately alerted the police. Kent’s siblings flew home from different cities to help find their brother.

Law enforcement and volunteers searched the town for any clues as to where Kent went, but nothing was found.

There are a couple of theories as to what happened to Kent. The first one is that Kent was robbed and harmed. Kent had about $200 in his pocket that day since he had just been paid from his job as a local custodian.

The second theory is that one of Kent’s friends gave him drugs and he overdosed. Kent’s childhood friends whom he would visit on his walks had drug habits and rap sheets. However, nothing came from either of these theories.

Kent Jacobs was declared legally deceased by his family in 2012, 10 years after he went missing.

A little over a year ago on April 24, 2023, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit announced that they would be searching a property in Kent’s case. The previous search took place 13 years earlier, in 2010. Officers found no evidence during either search.

“There was a child inside that adult body and we can’t forget that. Somebody destroyed the life of a child and that’s unthinkable and it’s unforgivable,” said Kent’s sister Jackie Jacobs.

If you have any information regarding Kent Jacobs’ disappearance please contact Senior Sgt. R. Westmoreland at 910-677-5596 or CrimeStoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).

Information was used from the following sources: NBC News Dateline , CBS 17 , and Uncovered .

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