The Missing
Eric Wayne Pyles
Union Township, Pennsylvania
12 year old Eric Wayne Pyles disappeared on December 12, 2000 after getting off the school bus near his home on Awol Road, Union Township, Pennsylvania. It is said that Eric did not walk toward his home after leaving the bus stop, but instead he walked south on Awol Road through a backyard of a house on Silvertown Road. He was later spotted at 2:45 p.m. by the secretary of Jonestown Bible Church. (See google maps screen shot) It is said that Eric was running behind the building, and it looked like he was heading in the direction of U.S. Highway Route 22.
There were unconfirmed sightings of Eric at a local mall and at the Mount Gretna Roller Rink that day.
Search dogs tracked Eric’s scent to a heavily wooded area near his home but after scouring the vicinity, nothing was found.
Eric had a “chaotic” home life in Luray, Virginia with his parents and was no longer living with them at the time. His half-sister Maria was awarded custody of both of her younger brothers in 1999 due to their parents being neglectful. She put Eric into counseling sessions for his emotional problems and she also tried to have him placed in a residential treatment center for his behavioral issues. He was an inpatient at Philhaven Behavioral Healthcare Services twice. Eric was a frequent run away but he always returned at nightfall.
Maria has been investigated and interviewed by police and they do not believe she had anything to do with Eric’s disappearance. The parents and other family members in Luray were investigated, but nothing came of this. There has never been any evidence he went there.
Eric is described as a white male with light brown hair and brown eyes, standing at 4’8” and weighing just under 100 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt with a deer print on it, light blue pants and black sneakers, and was possibly carrying a Washington Redskins backpack. His hair was collar length when he vanished. He has a scar on his bottom lip and an appendectomy scar near the right side of his waistline.
He may use the names “Nick Cagnow or Nick Seaboy,” two aliases he had made up for himself while playing “school” when he was very young. For reasons unknown, Eric used to tell people he was from Cleona, Pennsylvania but Maria claimed he had never been there before.
Eric was also known to hitchhike in the past.
Where is Eric Pyles?
If you have any further information, please contact the Pennsylvania State Police in Jonestown at 717-865-2194.
Sources:
https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/901394/1
https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP6548
https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/4929dmpa.html
https://int-missing.fandom.com/wiki/Eric_Pyles
https://www.abc27.com/news/top-stories/5000-reward-offered-for-locating-missing-lebanon-county-man/
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/03/pa-state-police-conduct-new-search-in-lebanon-county-boys-2000-disappearance.html
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2025/10/police-offer-5k-reward-for-information-about-child-who-vanished-25-years-ago.html
https://www.wgal.com/article/state-police-seek-help-search-for-boy-who-went-missing-jonestown-almost-25-years-ago/69128067
https://local21news.com/news/local/state-police-offering-reward-for-info-on-missing-lebanon-county-child-from-2000
https://www.ldnews.com/story/news/local/2023/12/12/the-search-for-eric-pyles-continues-23-years-after-his-disappearance-jonestown-luray/71892378007/
The Lost & The Taken 
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