The mother of a United States Navy servicemember has returned to Florida after Waukegan police suspended the search for her son this week, saying in a Facebook post that she will never give up searching for the 21-year-old.
Séamus Gray, a sailor stationed at Naval Station Great Lakes, was reported missing after he was last seen at approximately 2 a.m. on March 18 leaving a nightclub in suburban Waukegan.
Gray’s mother Kerry Rodier Gray flew from Florida to the Chicago area to assist in the search for her son, but after Waukegan police called off that search this week, she has returned home, according to an emotional Sunday morning Facebook post.
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“Gutted doesn’t even begin to describe what I am,” she said. “The last eight days have been grueling, nauseating, heartbreaking, and quite honestly, soul-crushing. This boy is my heart, my world, my love of my life, along with his little brother Deck.”
In the post, she described “searching through dumpsters and back alleys” in search of her son.
She thanked numerous individuals in the Waukegan area, as well as Waukegan police, and thanked those who supported her in Florida during a trying time.
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“My son was an exceptional young man willing to die serving and protecting his country,” she said. “He should have been able to safely walk down a street, no matter how ‘preppy’ he looked.”
Kerry also penned a message directly to her son.
“I got you my baby boy,” she said. “I will never stop looking for you. I live and breathe for you.”
Authorities say that Gray was last seen leaving Ibiza Nightclub, located at 17 N. Genesee Street in Waukegan, just after 1:30 a.m. on March 19.
His disappearance was noted when he didn’t report back to the Naval Great Lakes station Saturday morning, but Waukegan police were not notified of the disappearance until Tuesday afternoon.
Surveillance footage from the scene shows Gray on the ground after talking to a group of people. At one point, someone appears to grab his wallet, but then throws it back at him.
Ibiza manager Adrian Hernandez says Gray entered the nightclub twice on the fateful morning, but was escorted out for being too intoxicated. He also says Gray got into at least two altercations outside the bar.
“We just want him to be found,” Hernandez said. “We just want to cooperate in any way we can.”
More surveillance footage showed Gray near Lake Michigan after he had left the bar, but he has not been found despite search efforts both in the water and in the air.
His phone has not shown any activity since his disappearance.
'If Somebody Does Go In the Water, They're Not Coming Up Right Away'
In his update, Chastain noted that additional sonar equipment had been incorporated into the water search efforts due to the cold temperatures of the weather and the lake.
"The problem is with the cold weather right now, and the cold temperatures in the water," Chastain said. "If somebody does go into water, they're not coming up right away," adding that in colder temperatures, a body could remain under water longer due to how body gases are released. "It may be days or weeks before the body would come back up," he said.
Strong winds and high waves in Lake Michigan could make things even more challenging, Chastain said.
"That's a factor for the water as well as the currents," he said. "If someone did go into water, it can take them as far as Chicago or Milwaukee. And that's happened in the past."
Timeline of the Disappearance
According to authorities, Séamus Gray, who is stationed at the Naval Station Great Lakes, was last seen around 1:35 a.m. Saturday leaving Ibiza Nightclub, located at 17 N. Genesee Street in Waukegan, about 40 miles north of Chicago.
Gray's disappearance was first noted when he didn't report back to the Naval Station Great Lakes base at his scheduled 2 a.m. time Saturday, officials said.
However, it wasn't until 2 p.m. Tuesday that the Waukegan police say they were notified of Gray's disappearance.
"It wasn't until some days later that they had some information that they uncovered that determined that he was in fact in Waukegan the early morning hours of [March 18]," Waukegan Deputy Chief Brian Mullen said during an update Thursday.
Once Waukegan police did learn of Gray's disappearance, Mullen said they "jumped into action almost immediately" and began a search of areas where he was last seen.
What Surveillance Video Shows
Recently released security footage from outside Ibiza nightclub shows Gray just before 2 a.m. standing and talking to a group of people. At one point in the video, Gray is seen on the ground. At another point, someone in the group appears to grab the wallet from Gray's pocket, but then throws it back at him.
Later in the video, Gray is seen taking off down a nearby alley.
In a press conference Wednesday, Ibiza manager Adrian Hernandez said Gray entered the nightclub twice early Saturday morning, but was ultimately escorted out for being too intoxicated.
Hernandez added that Grey got into at least two altercations outside the bar.
"It's just a sad situation for us," Hernandez said. "We just want him to be found ... we just want to cooperate in any way we can. We're doing everything we can to cooperate with the police investigation with the family."
During Thursday's update, Mullen said detectives spoke to some individuals who were with Gray that night. However, they reported they did not see him or hear from him after he left the bar.
Also on Thursday, authorities said they had obtained additional surveillance video showing Gray at the lakefront the night he went missing.
"We received some more video down here at the lakefront from some of the businesses at the marinas that were showing Séamus right on the water's edge," Mullen said. "And so we focused our efforts searching the water again today."
Mullen said Gray's phone has not shown any activity since his disappearance.
"We know he's in excellent shape, and we're very hopeful that maybe he could be out there someplace," Mullen said.
'Please Come Forward'
Gray's mother, Kerry Rodier Gray, stood alongside the Waukegan Police Department during Thursday morning's press conference, pleading for the community to help find her son.
"There are three things my son lives for. He lives for his family, God and his country. He came here to fight for his country, and now he's missing," she said, asking that anyone with information about Séamus to "please come forward."
During the press conference, Rodier Gray, who lives in Florida, said that she speaks to her son "no less than 10 times a day," through texting, talking, pictures, Facetime or memes, and noted that she too was notified by the Navy on Tuesday that her son had been missing.
On Wednesday, she joined in the search efforts.
"I'm here, I'm going through dumpsters looking for my son," Rodier Gray said.
The Search
According to Waukegan officials, police and fire crews, along with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard, on Wednesday night began an "extensive search of the area" Gray was last seen, as well as the surrounding areas, including the lakefront. Search efforts resumed at 9 a.m. Thursday at Washington Street, between the train tracks and the Waukegan Harbor and Marina.
However, just before 3 p.m., search efforts, which had taken place on both land and water, were halted after Mullen said resources were "exhausted."
"As we recover more and more video, it changes the scope of the search," Mullen added.
The search resumed at 9 a.m. Friday, but again was stopped midday.
"Right now we're ending our search effort," Chastain said Friday. "We've hit everything you could."
Gray was last seen wearing a pink long-sleeved shirt and pants. According to authorities, Gray is described as a white male, standing 6-feet-3 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He has multiple tattoos on his left arm, and a script tattoo on his ribcage.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is encouraged to call Waukegan police at 847-360-9001, or by texting the word WPDTIP to 847411.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously on the Waukegan Police Department’s website.
