20 years have passed since Jeremy Alex disappeared

It’s been 20 years since Jeremy Alex of Northport went missing, after he was last seen running down a rural road by a woman who worried about his well-being and called the police .

But while authorities have long viewed his disappearance as suspicious, they have yet to answer where he went, or what happened to him.

It was late in April of 2004 when the woman saw Alex — 28 at the time — running down Pound Hill Road in Northport. The woman called police and reported that he was acting erratically, clutching money in his hand and claiming someone was after him, according to previous BDN reporting.

Before officers could arrive, though, he’d bolted into the woods.

Days of searching brought no sign of Alex, except his car with his keys and cellphone still inside . Several weeks later, cash and his driver’s license washed up on the shore of Northport and were found by a couple who was building a house there.

Besides that, the trail has gone cold, but the investigation remains open. Just two years ago, the Maine State Police wrote a Facebook post requesting tips and information on Alex’s whereabouts.

Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety, declined to say whether investigators have found any new clues recently. In general, she added that detectives “never give up hope” and continue to pursue any available leads in missing person cases.

Alex’s family has long offered a reward for information regarding his case.

His story has made its way to true crime programs such as the TV show “ Disappeared ” and the “Murder, She Told” podcast.

Alex’s father, Ted Alex, described Jeremy as a “free spirit” in a 2011 interview with the BDN. Jeremy worked for Greenpeace in California for some time, but considered Maine home, his father said. He had talked about buying land about a month before he disappeared.

Ted Alex, who lives in New Hampshire, could not be reached for comment.

In Jeremy’s name, his father began a fund through the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. To honor Jeremy’s love for chess and music, the fund has been used to purchase chess sets for New Hampshire fourth-graders and music scholarships for low-income children.

In the 2011 interview, Ted Alex described the fund as the “one positive thing” that has come since Jeremy’s disappearance.

Anyone with information on Jeremy Alex should contact the Maine State Police, Major Crimes Unit at 207-624-7076, ext. 9, or use the leave a tip form .

Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.