Overview

• Full name: Jeremiah Steven Erb
• Age at disappearance: 40, according to missing-person records; described as 41 in October 2022 news coverage
• Date last seen: December 26, 2021
• Last known location: Morgantown, West Virginia
• City and county: Morgantown, Monongalia County
• State: West Virginia
• Residence or community connection: Westover, West Virginia
• Case classification: Missing person
• Current case status: Unresolved in the latest publicly located case-specific information
• Investigating agency: Westover Police Department
• NamUs reference: MP124501, as reported by missing-person organizations
• Main circumstances: Erb’s last documented contact was with a Morgantown police officer on December 26, 2021. His mother reported him missing to Westover police on October 3, 2022. Investigators subsequently sought information about his possible movements, including earlier connections to Ohio and Wheeling, West Virginia.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Jeremiah Steven Erb Missing Since 2021: The Unsolved Disappearance in Morgantown, West Virginia

Jeremiah Steven Erb was last seen on December 26, 2021, in Morgantown, West Virginia, following a documented encounter with a Morgantown police officer. Although his disappearance did not become the subject of a public police appeal until October 2022, the circumstances surrounding his last known whereabouts have left important questions unanswered.

Erb, who had connections to Westover and Morgantown in Monongalia County, has not been publicly confirmed located. His disappearance remains a missing-person case, and there is no verified public evidence establishing that he was the victim of a homicide.

The investigation has involved the Westover Police Department, information obtained from a local treatment facility, and efforts to establish whether Erb traveled to other communities before losing contact with people who knew him.

Case Summary

• Full name: Jeremiah Steven Erb
• Age at disappearance: 40, according to missing-person records; described as 41 in October 2022 news coverage
• Date last seen: December 26, 2021
• Last known location: Morgantown, West Virginia
• City and county: Morgantown, Monongalia County
• State: West Virginia
• Residence or community connection: Westover, West Virginia
• Case classification: Missing person
• Current case status: Unresolved in the latest publicly located case-specific information
• Investigating agency: Westover Police Department
• NamUs reference: MP124501, as reported by missing-person organizations
• Main circumstances: Erb’s last documented contact was with a Morgantown police officer on December 26, 2021. His mother reported him missing to Westover police on October 3, 2022. Investigators subsequently sought information about his possible movements, including earlier connections to Ohio and Wheeling, West Virginia.

Sources: WV Missing Persons Project, The Dominion Post, republished by Yahoo, and WDTV.

Background: Who Was Jeremiah Steven Erb?

Jeremiah Steven Erb was a 40-year-old man associated with Westover, a city neighboring Morgantown in northern West Virginia, when he disappeared in December 2021.

Publicly available information about Erb’s early life, employment, family relationships, and personal history is limited. However, reporting published in October 2022 provides important context about the period before his disappearance.

According to The Dominion Post, Westover Police Chief Joe Adams said Erb’s mother had not seen her son for more than a year before contacting police. She reported that, when she last spoke with him, he had been attending Jacob’s Ladder, a local substance-use treatment facility.

Investigators contacted the facility and learned that staff had last seen Erb around Christmas 2021. Police also reported that Erb did not appear to have a fixed residence at the time and may have been part of the local unhoused community.

These circumstances are relevant to understanding the difficulties investigators faced in reconstructing his movements. They do not establish what happened to him or indicate that his disappearance was voluntary.

Source: The Dominion Post — Additional information on missing Westover man.

Physical Description and Identifying Characteristics

Information published by WDTV and the WV Missing Persons Project describes Erb as follows:

• Sex: Male
• Race: White
• Height: Approximately 6 feet to 6 feet 1 inch
• Weight: Approximately 180–200 pounds
• Hair: Brown
• Eyes: Blue
• Distinguishing features: Scarring on his chest, with additional reporting describing scars on his back from previous surgeries

The slight differences in height and weight reflect variations between published descriptions rather than any confirmed physical change.

Anyone who believes they may have encountered Erb should consider these characteristics, while recognizing that his appearance could have changed since December 2021.

Sources: WDTV and WV Missing Persons Project.

The Disappearance: December 26, 2021

The most significant confirmed date in Jeremiah Erb’s disappearance is December 26, 2021.

According to statements attributed to Westover Police Chief Joe Adams, investigators located a Morgantown Police Department report documenting contact between an officer and Erb on that date.

The report established his last publicly documented encounter.

However, the available reporting does not explain why the officer contacted Erb, the exact location of the encounter, or whether the officer observed anything suggesting that Erb was in danger.

These missing details limit what can responsibly be concluded about his final known movements.

His Last Known Connection to Jacob’s Ladder

When investigators contacted Jacob’s Ladder, staff reportedly indicated that they had last seen Erb around Christmas 2021.

That information was consistent with the December 26 police contact, although the publicly available reports do not establish the precise order of his movements between the facility and the police encounter.

Investigators also learned that Erb had previously traveled to Ohio and Wheeling, West Virginia, after leaving the facility.

These previous movements became relevant to the investigation because they provided potential locations where police could seek additional information.

They were not confirmation that Erb traveled to either location after December 26, 2021.

Source: The Dominion Post — Additional information on missing Westover man.

Investigation History and Evidence

October 3, 2022: Missing-Person Report

The first clearly documented major investigative milestone after Erb’s disappearance occurred on October 3, 2022.

According to The Dominion Post, his mother contacted the Westover Police Department and reported him missing.

Police Chief Joe Adams explained that she had not seen Erb for more than a year and that her last known communication with him involved his attendance at Jacob’s Ladder.

This report prompted police to investigate his whereabouts and reconstruct his last documented contacts.

The gap between the December 2021 disappearance and the October 2022 report is significant. However, the available sources do not establish why the report was made at that particular time.

October 10, 2022: Public Appeal for Information

On October 10, 2022, WDTV reported that the Westover Police Department was seeking public assistance in locating Erb.

The department described him as a 41-year-old Westover man who was approximately 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed about 180 pounds.

Police identified December 26, 2021, as his last known date in the Morgantown area.

The public was asked to contact the Westover Police Department or MECCA 911 with information.

Source: WDTV — Westover police attempting to locate man last seen in December.

October 14, 2022: Additional Investigative Details Released

On October 14, 2022, The Dominion Post published further information about the investigation.

Police Chief Adams identified Sgt. Hilling as the officer working the case.

The reporting described several investigative steps:

• Reviewing Morgantown police records to establish Erb’s last documented contact.
• Contacting Jacob’s Ladder to determine when staff last saw him.
• Examining information about Erb’s previous movements between communities.
• Checking with agencies in Ohio and the Wheeling area for possible information about his whereabouts.

The article did not report that these inquiries produced a confirmed sighting after December 26, 2021.

Source: The Dominion Post — Additional information on missing Westover man.

Physical Evidence and Forensic Testing

The publicly available case-specific sources reviewed do not identify recovered physical evidence that establishes what happened to Erb.

No verified public reporting was located describing the discovery of his belongings under suspicious circumstances, a crime scene, surveillance footage establishing his subsequent movements, or forensic evidence connecting a person to his disappearance.

Likewise, no publicly confirmed case-specific updates were found concerning DNA testing, investigative genetic genealogy, or the identification of remains.

This does not establish that investigators possess no evidence or have conducted no forensic work. It means those details could not be verified from the available public record.

Missing-Person Database Documentation

Jeremiah Erb is identified in missing-person resources with the NamUs reference MP124501.

The WV Missing Persons Project publishes a case profile that includes his physical description, disappearance date, last known location, and investigating agency.

The project also states that a Freedom of Information Act request was denied, while acknowledging cooperation from the Westover Police Department in providing information that could be shared.

That statement is evidence of the project’s attempt to obtain additional information, not proof of any particular investigative finding.

Sources: WV Missing Persons Project and Missing People in America.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

Several questions remain unanswered about Jeremiah Erb’s disappearance. It is important to distinguish possible explanations from verified investigative conclusions.

Did Jeremiah Leave Morgantown?

One question concerns whether Erb traveled outside the Morgantown area after December 26, 2021.

Police learned that he had previously visited Ohio and Wheeling after leaving Jacob’s Ladder. Investigators consequently sought information from agencies in those areas.

However, prior travel patterns do not establish that he followed the same route after his last confirmed police contact.

No later confirmed sighting in either location was identified in the reviewed sources.

Could His Housing Circumstances Have Complicated the Search?

Police indicated in October 2022 that Erb may have been experiencing homelessness.

Without a consistent residence, an individual may be more difficult to locate through ordinary address-based inquiries or routine contact with acquaintances.

This is a possible investigative complication, not a confirmed explanation for his disappearance.

There is no verified evidence showing that Erb intentionally avoided contact or chose to disappear.

Was Foul Play Involved?

The available public evidence does not establish that Erb was the victim of a crime.

No official homicide classification, named suspect, criminal charge, or confirmed act of violence associated with his disappearance was located.

Although foul play cannot be categorically ruled out based on the limited public information, it would be inaccurate to describe his disappearance as a confirmed homicide.

What Happened After the Police Encounter?

The central unresolved question remains what happened after the December 26, 2021, encounter with the Morgantown police officer.

Publicly available information does not establish where Erb went next, whom he may have met, or whether he left Morgantown.

The lack of a verified subsequent sighting leaves investigators and the public without a confirmed account of his movements after that date.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates

As of October 25, 2026, no publicly confirmed recent investigative breakthrough was located in the case-specific sources reviewed.

The most detailed located reporting about the original investigation remains the October 2022 coverage from WDTV and The Dominion Post.

More recent missing-person resources continue to document Erb’s disappearance, but those entries should not be confused with new law enforcement findings.

For example, Missing People in America maintains a case entry that identifies December 26, 2021, as the disappearance date and lists an internal case number of 1714. Its page indicates an update on March 29, 2025, but does not describe a new investigative breakthrough.

The WV Missing Persons Project also continues to publish information about Erb and directs tips to the Westover Police Department.

No publicly confirmed arrest, identification of remains, homicide determination, or announcement that Erb was found was identified during this research.

These findings are limited to accessible public sources. They are not a substitute for a direct status confirmation from the investigating department.

Sources: Missing People in America, WV Missing Persons Project.

Conclusion: The Search for Answers Continues

Nearly five years after Jeremiah Steven Erb was last documented in Morgantown, the publicly known circumstances of his disappearance remain limited.

His last confirmed contact was with a police officer on December 26, 2021. Months later, his mother’s missing-person report led investigators to examine his connections to Jacob’s Ladder and his previous movements through West Virginia and Ohio.

Those inquiries have not produced a publicly confirmed explanation for what happened.

Jeremiah’s disappearance deserves continued attention without unsupported assumptions about his personal circumstances or fate. His family and those who knew him still deserve reliable answers.

Anyone with information about Jeremiah Steven Erb’s whereabouts, especially his movements after December 26, 2021, is encouraged to contact the Westover Police Department at 304-296-6576.

Even information that seems minor may help investigators establish a more complete timeline.

Source: WDTV — Westover police attempting to locate man last seen in December