Family holds out hope son will be found

Nancy Watkins is still looking for her son.

Seven months ago, 29-year-old Paul, left the family's Dayton home.

The Carson City Wal-Mart employee was last seen by his girlfriend at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 6.

Three weeks later, Paul's red 2001 Honda Civic was found with a flat tire in the Sunrise Pass area of the Pinenut Mountains east of Johnson Lane.

A two-day search by Lyon and Douglas counties uncovered no clues as to Watkins whereabouts. A search of the vehicle found no suggestion of foul play.

"Everything we do, everything we see reminds us of him," said Nancy. "It's really hard during the holidays."

The youngest of four children, Paul suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. If untreated he can become disoriented and is prone to hallucinations, Watkins said.

Before his disappearance, Paul had stopped taking his medication.

Watkins hopes someone remembers seeing her son, or perhaps picking him up as he hitchhiked.

"I think he made it to the highway and hitched a ride somewhere in a truck or whatever. He's probably just getting odd jobs," she said, adding she has faith he is still alive.

She also wants to try and assemble a volunteer search party to roam the Pinenuts again.

"We call the police we every once in a while just to see if they are going to do something else, but they aren't," she said.

She said the disappearance of her son has the family in knots, especially Paul's siblings who live in other states and can't help look for him.

Watkins, Paul and her husband Bob, moved to Dayton from Luray, Va., 15 months ago.

Watkins said her son in Virginia thought he saw Paul there.

"He saw him in a car, and chased him down, followed him to a house. Then he went back and got the police and the police went to the door, but it wasn't Paul," she said. "He said he has days when he really misses him and wants to cry. I do that a lot."

Watkins is white, 6-feet, 2-inches tall and weighs 285 pounds. He has short brown hair and blue eyes and often wears eyeglasses. His mother said he doesn't have much facial hair, although without a razor he would have some growth. Watkins was last seen wearing light tan casual slacks, a lightweight long sleeve sweater and white and blue tennis shoes.

"I'm just hoping somebody may have remembered seeing him that day. Maybe they saw him walking on Johnson Lane," she said. "I need him to come home."

YOU CAN HELP

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Paul Watkins is asked to call the Lyon County Sheriff's Department at 246-6200

If you'd like to volunteer for a search of the Pinenuts, you can call the Watkins family at 246-7023.