Overview

• Full name: James Darren Mathis
• Age when missing: 38
• Date last seen: December 13, 2013
• Last known location: Huntington, West Virginia
• City: Huntington
• County: Cabell County, with portions of Huntington extending into Wayne County; the precise disappearance location has not been verified
• State: West Virginia
• Case classification: Missing person
• Current case status: Unresolved in the publicly available missing-person listings reviewed
• Reported physical description: White male, approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall, 135 pounds, gray or partially gray hair, and green eyes
• Historical missing-person reference: MP23154, as reproduced by a secondary missing-person listing; not independently confirmed against a current NamUs record

Main circumstances: James Darren Mathis was reported missing after being last seen in Huntington on December 13, 2013. Available listings establish a date and general location but do not provide a verified account of his final movements or the circumstances immediately preceding his disappearance.

Detailed Case Breakdown

James Darren Mathis Missing Since 2013 in Huntington, West Virginia: An Unresolved Disappearance

More than a decade after James Darren Mathis disappeared from Huntington, West Virginia, fundamental questions remain unanswered about what happened to him and where he may be today.

Mathis was reportedly 38 years old when he was last seen on December 13, 2013. His disappearance is documented in missing-person listings, but publicly accessible information about the circumstances remains limited. There is no verified evidence in the sources reviewed establishing that he was the victim of a homicide.

His case illustrates the difficulties surrounding long-term disappearances when few investigative details have been released publicly. Even after years have passed, information from someone who knew the missing person or witnessed an important event may help investigators establish what happened.

Case Summary

• Full name: James Darren Mathis
• Age when missing: 38
• Date last seen: December 13, 2013
• Last known location: Huntington, West Virginia
• City: Huntington
• County: Cabell County, with portions of Huntington extending into Wayne County; the precise disappearance location has not been verified
• State: West Virginia
• Case classification: Missing person
• Current case status: Unresolved in the publicly available missing-person listings reviewed
• Reported physical description: White male, approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall, 135 pounds, gray or partially gray hair, and green eyes
• Historical missing-person reference: MP23154, as reproduced by a secondary missing-person listing; not independently confirmed against a current NamUs record

Main circumstances: James Darren Mathis was reported missing after being last seen in Huntington on December 13, 2013. Available listings establish a date and general location but do not provide a verified account of his final movements or the circumstances immediately preceding his disappearance.

Sources: SpotCrime Missing Persons and WV Missing Persons Project.

Background: Who Was James Darren Mathis?

James Darren Mathis was an adult man associated with Huntington, a city situated along the Ohio River in western West Virginia.

Publicly available missing-person listings describe Mathis as 38 years old at the time of his disappearance in December 2013. His reported physical characteristics included a slender build, green eyes, and hair that was gray or partially gray.

The West Virginia Missing Persons Project also includes James Darren Mathis among individuals who disappeared during 2013, providing additional confirmation that his name has remained part of the state’s missing-person awareness efforts.

Public documentation concerning Mathis’s occupation, daily routine, education, relationships, and activities before his disappearance is sparse. These gaps should not be filled with assumptions about his personal circumstances.

A December 2015 obituary for James Foster Mathis, published in a Wayne County obituary archive, identifies a son named James Darren Mathis. However, the available record does not independently establish that this is the same person listed as missing in 2013. The possible family connection therefore should not be treated as confirmed biographical information.

The Disappearance on December 13, 2013

According to the missing-person information reproduced by SpotCrime, Mathis was last seen in Huntington, West Virginia, on December 13, 2013.

The listing does not establish an exact street address, residence, workplace, or other specific location where he was last observed.

It also does not identify the last confirmed person to see him or explain whether he was traveling, meeting someone, or engaged in ordinary activities when he disappeared.

These omissions are important. A missing-person listing can document that someone has disappeared without establishing the circumstances or cause of the disappearance.

There is also insufficient verified public information to determine whether Mathis left behind personal belongings, transportation, identification, or other items that investigators considered significant.

As a result, the available record supports a straightforward conclusion: Mathis was reported missing from Huntington in December 2013, but the circumstances of his disappearance have not been publicly established in the sources located.

Investigation History and Available Evidence

Missing-person records

The clearest publicly accessible documentation consists of missing-person listings identifying Mathis, his reported age, his last-seen date, and his physical characteristics.

SpotCrime reproduces the reference MP23154 alongside his listing. An older Websleuths discussion also references a historical FindTheMissing case URL containing the number 23154. FindTheMissing was a predecessor system associated with historical missing-person records.

These references support the historical use of that identifier, but they do not establish that the number remains active or that a corresponding current NamUs record is publicly accessible.

Searches and investigative activity

No sufficiently detailed, case-specific public account of an initial ground search, aerial search, water search, or coordinated volunteer operation was located in the reviewed sources.

This does not mean investigators never conducted searches. It means the available documentation does not support describing particular searches, their dates, or their results as established facts.

Similarly, the reviewed material does not identify a verified lead detective, investigative interview, search-warrant execution, or official reconstruction of Mathis’s final movements.

Physical and forensic evidence

No public source reviewed establishes that investigators recovered physical evidence definitively connected to Mathis’s disappearance.

There is no verified case-specific announcement concerning recovered clothing, a vehicle, personal possessions, biological evidence, or a crime scene.

No confirmed public report was located describing DNA testing, forensic genealogy, fingerprint comparisons, or dental-record comparisons producing an identification or investigative breakthrough in his case.

These technologies are used in missing-person investigations generally, but their availability should not be mistaken for evidence that they were used in Mathis’s particular case.

Possible comparisons with unidentified remains

An older Websleuths discussion mentioned James Darren Mathis while participants considered possible identities for unidentified remains discovered in Pennsylvania.

That discussion was community speculation, not an official identification or a confirmed investigative lead. It does not establish any connection between Mathis and those remains.

There is no verified basis in the reviewed information to conclude that the Pennsylvania remains belonged to Mathis or that his disappearance involved a homicide.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

Because the public record contains few details about Mathis’s final known activities, it is not possible to identify a supported explanation for his disappearance.

Several questions remain unresolved:

• Where in Huntington was Mathis last reliably seen, and who confirmed that sighting?
• What were his plans and movements on December 13, 2013?
• Were any witnesses interviewed or significant leads developed?
• Were there circumstances suggesting an accident, voluntary departure, medical emergency, or criminal involvement?
• Have investigators compared his information with unidentified-person records?

These are investigative questions, not established facts or allegations.

There is no reliable evidence in the reviewed sources identifying a suspect, a person of interest, or a motive for harming Mathis.

The fact that someone has been missing for an extended period does not independently prove foul play. Nor does the absence of public information establish that a disappearance was voluntary.

Until credible investigative findings become available, the cause and circumstances of Mathis’s disappearance must remain undetermined.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates

As of October 19, 2026, no publicly confirmed recent investigative developments were located in the sources reviewed for James Darren Mathis.

His name continues to appear in missing-person resources, including the West Virginia Missing Persons Project and secondary missing-person listings. These listings preserve awareness of his disappearance but do not, by themselves, demonstrate new investigative activity.

The West Virginia State Police maintains an official missing-person information page. Mathis was not among the names displayed on the publicly accessible statewide page reviewed, although absence from that page does not establish that his case has been closed.

No verified recent announcements were located concerning an arrest, criminal charge, recovery of remains, forensic identification, DNA breakthrough, or official resolution involving Mathis.

There was also no independently verified new age-progression image, official family appeal, or publicly announced cold-case review specific to his disappearance.

Consequently, the available information supports describing this as an unresolved, publicly documented disappearance rather than a confirmed homicide investigation.

Conclusion: The Continuing Search for Answers

James Darren Mathis was 38 years old when he disappeared from Huntington, West Virginia, on December 13, 2013. Years later, the public record still leaves unanswered where he went and what happened after his last reported sighting.

His case deserves continued attention without speculation being presented as fact. Accurate descriptions, reliable records, and responsible sharing of information are particularly important in disappearances where few details are publicly known.

Anyone with firsthand knowledge of Mathis’s whereabouts, movements in December 2013, or information that may help identify what happened should contact an appropriate law enforcement agency in the Huntington area.

Even information that initially appears insignificant may provide useful context when assessed by investigators. Anyone with a potential lead should share it directly with law enforcement rather than publish unverified accusations online.