Family Remains Hopeful in Finding Missing Butler Man

Last month, it was hard to miss the billboard that stood on Route 23 South bearing the friendly face of Timothy Carney, asking anyone who sees him to call the phone number below.

While the billboard has since been taken down, Carney has been missing since September of 2004 and the search for him continues.

Carney was last seen by his roommate, Roy Anthony, on Sept. 28, 2004 at the before he left for work, according to his family. He called his employers and said he would be late because of the rain and was not heard from since. His car was found on the border of Elizabeth and Newark by the side of the road.

He was reported missing just days later, on Sept. 30, and appears to be caught on video surveillance withdrawing $1,000 from his bank account on Oct. 2, 2004 near Newark Airport, according to family members. He could not be positively identified, however, because the individual in the video was wearing a baseball cap that covered his face.

At the time of his disappearance, Carney's mother, Phyllis, said her son was involved with what he thought was an upstanding religious organization called the Gospel Outreach, headed by Jim Lethbridge.

The group, which Carney and Anthony both were members of, became increasingly domineering, Phyllis said. Phyllis said there was once an occasion when Carney visited his aunt in the hospital and members of the Gospel Outreach insisted on accompanying him because they wanted to “make sure there really was an aunt.”

Although foul play has not been formally suspected in the case, Phyllis said she believes the group was at the root of Carney’s disappearance.

“My guess is, it had to be some kind of stress that he was under. Maybe he wanted to get out from under the church. Who knows what they said to him?” she said, claiming that they may have even gone as far as threats.

While Carney's family has been searching for him ever since, they are not alone in their efforts. The Police Department has been working diligently to locate Carney, despite having little information to go on.

Lead investigator Det. Colleen Pascale said,“We believe this individual to be alive and we’re looking for some closure for this family.”

Capt. Ciro Chimento added, “I can generalize that it looks as though he was trying to break ties with a religious organization that he was affiliated with. That’s one theory. And it seems to be the strongest at this point.”

Contact with the Gospel Outreach has been difficult for the police as well.

“We’ve been in contact with them and their information has been disappointing at best,” Chimento said.

But Phyllis has the Kristen Foundation, an organization dedicated to bringing home missing adults, founded and run by Joan Scanlon-Petruski, on her side, too. The Kristen Foundation paid to put up the billboard of Carney when Scanlon-Petruski heard about Carney through a friend who lived in Edison near Phyllis. The billboard ran for the month of January.

Scanlon-Petruski plans on putting up the billboard again.

“I’m going to be putting it up again in April or May, depending on the money we get for the fundraiser. I’m definitely going to follow this one through,” she said.

Phyllis said she is grateful for all the help she’s been getting, especially with the attention the billboard has brought the case.

“I’m glad it was up because it brings people’s attention to the fact that he is missing, so that’s always a plus because if someone sees him or recognizes him from that picture, that’s always a help," she said. "The billboard, I think, is a very good thing."