Overview

Full name: Marshall Andy Priestley II

Known as: Andy Priestley

Age when missing: 39

Date last seen: February 29, 2016

Last known area: Cross Lanes, Kanawha County, West Virginia

Residence: 105 Christian Road, Cross Lanes, West Virginia

Date reported missing: March 16, 2016

Case classification: Missing person; unexplained disappearance

Current status: Missing; investigation remains open as of the latest verified public reporting in February 2026

Investigating agency: Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office

Case number: 2016-96031602

Main circumstances: Priestley attended a custody hearing, spoke with his attorney, and delivered money to his daughter on February 29, 2016. He was not heard from afterward. His residence was destroyed by fire several months later, but investigators have not established a connection between the fire and his disappearance.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Marshall “Andy” Priestley II: The Unsolved 2016 Disappearance in Cross Lanes, West Virginia

Marshall “Andy” Priestley II disappeared from Kanawha County, West Virginia, on February 29, 2016, just four days before his 40th birthday. What began as a missing-person investigation has become a decade-long search for answers, marked by unanswered questions about his final known movements, a fire that later destroyed his home, and his family’s continuing efforts to learn what happened.

Priestley was 39 years old when he vanished. His mother reported him missing on March 16, 2016, after being unable to contact him. Despite years of investigative work and repeated appeals to the public, his disappearance remains unresolved.

In February 2026, ten years after he was last seen, his family and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office renewed their public appeals for information. Authorities confirmed that the investigation remained ongoing.

Case Summary

Full name: Marshall Andy Priestley II

Known as: Andy Priestley

Age when missing: 39

Date last seen: February 29, 2016

Last known area: Cross Lanes, Kanawha County, West Virginia

Residence: 105 Christian Road, Cross Lanes, West Virginia

Date reported missing: March 16, 2016

Case classification: Missing person; unexplained disappearance

Current status: Missing; investigation remains open as of the latest verified public reporting in February 2026

Investigating agency: Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office

Case number: 2016-96031602

Main circumstances: Priestley attended a custody hearing, spoke with his attorney, and delivered money to his daughter on February 29, 2016. He was not heard from afterward. His residence was destroyed by fire several months later, but investigators have not established a connection between the fire and his disappearance.Sources: Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office and The Charley Project.

Background: Who Was Marshall “Andy” Priestley?

Marshall Andy Priestley II was a father of four who lived in the Cross Lanes area of Kanawha County, West Virginia. He went by his middle name, Andy, and was approaching his 40th birthday when he disappeared.

According to The Charley Project, Priestley was expecting the birth of his first grandchild around the time of his disappearance. He had been living with a girlfriend, although it was his mother, Pamela “Pam” Wade, who ultimately reported him missing.

His family relationships provide important context for understanding his last known activities. On February 29, 2016, he attended a custody hearing and later delivered money to his daughter, Michaela Priestley, at her workplace.

The available public records do not establish his employment history, the outcome of the custody proceeding, or any particular reason he might have voluntarily left the area. Those details should not be assumed.

Physical Description and Identifying Features

At the time of his disappearance, Priestley was described in The Charley Project as approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 195 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes.

He had several distinctive physical characteristics that could assist in identification:

• A right-arm tattoo sleeve featuring imagery associated with the Grateful Dead.
• A Grateful Dead guitar tattoo on his lower right leg.
• Tattoos across his shoulder blades featuring the name “Brandi,” a male face, and female eyes.
• Wording tattooed across his lower back.
• A scar on his left forearm from a workplace accident, later covered by a Native American figure tattoo.
• A missing front tooth.

A February 2024 WSAZ report relayed a different physical description from a sheriff’s office release, listing him at 5 feet 7 inches and 150 pounds. Because these descriptions differ, anyone attempting to identify Priestley should consult the investigating agency’s current case materials rather than relying on one measurement alone.

February 29, 2016: The Day Andy Priestley Disappeared

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office has documented several important details about Priestley’s final known activities.

On Monday, February 29, 2016, Priestley attended a custody hearing. Afterward, he spoke with his attorney and delivered money to his daughter, Michaela, at her place of employment.

According to the sheriff’s office, these events were described by his mother when she reported his disappearance. The available public account does not identify a verified sighting of Priestley after the delivery.

His mother told deputies that her last direct communication with him had been a text message on February 28, one day before his disappearance.

The distinction matters: February 29 is the documented last-seen date, while February 28 was the date of his mother’s last reported direct communication with him.

As the days passed, his family became increasingly concerned.

The Charley Project reports that Priestley did not contact his mother on his birthday, an absence that contributed to her concerns. His 40th birthday would have been March 4, 2016.

On March 16, Pamela Wade contacted authorities to report her son missing. By that point, more than two weeks had passed since his last known activities.

Investigation History and Evidence

March 16, 2016: Deputies Respond to the Missing-Person Report

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office states that deputies were dispatched through Metro Communications on March 16, 2016, to meet with Pamela Wade.

Wade explained that she had been unable to reach her son and had not seen or heard from him since late February.

She had attempted to check on him at his residence at 105 Christian Road in Cross Lanes but could not make contact.

Deputies subsequently visited the residence. They were unable to locate Priestley or contact anyone inside.

Investigators also canvassed the surrounding neighborhood.

One neighbor told deputies that Priestley had not been seen for several weeks and expressed concern that something might have happened to him.

The sheriff’s office has not publicly established what happened to Priestley after his final documented activities on February 29.

November 2016: Detectives Seek Additional Leads

On November 15, 2016, WSAZ reported that Kanawha County detectives were requesting additional information from the public.

According to that report, investigators had pursued numerous leads and narrowed the focus of their investigation.

However, the public report did not identify a suspect, describe a specific criminal theory, or disclose the evidence that led detectives to narrow their focus.

The report confirmed that investigators were continuing their work but still needed additional information to determine what had happened.

The distinction is important: narrowing an investigation does not establish that detectives had identified a perpetrator or concluded that a homicide occurred.

The Fire at Priestley’s Residence

One of the most troubling circumstances associated with Priestley’s disappearance was a fire that destroyed his residence several months after he went missing.

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office confirms that his home on Christian Road was destroyed by fire.

The Charley Project also documents the incident, although it refers to the location as Christian Drive.

Neither source establishes that the fire was intentionally set or that it was connected to Priestley’s disappearance.

No publicly verified finding identified in the reviewed sources establishes arson, the destruction of evidence, or criminal involvement in the fire.

Its timing makes it an unresolved question, but it should not be presented as proof of foul play.

February 2017 and February 2018: Continued Appeals

On February 28, 2017, WSAZ published an update marking approximately one year since Priestley’s disappearance.

Deputies confirmed that detectives were still investigating and asked anyone with relevant information to contact authorities.

Another update, dated February 16, 2018, reported that the sheriff’s office continued to seek information nearly two years after Priestley vanished.

These reports demonstrate that the investigation remained active beyond its initial months, although neither update publicly disclosed a resolution or a significant evidentiary breakthrough.

February 2024: Eight Years Without Answers

On February 28, 2024, WSAZ reported that the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office was again seeking help from the public.

The department stated that detectives had spent eight years gathering information about Priestley’s unexplained disappearance without determining what had happened on the day he vanished.

The sheriff’s office also acknowledged the continued hope of his family and friends that someone with information would come forward.

The renewed appeal confirmed that the disappearance remained unresolved.

Physical Evidence, Forensic Testing, and Suspects

The available official case summary and reviewed news reports do not publicly identify a recovered weapon, a confirmed crime scene, a forensic match, or physical evidence establishing what happened to Priestley.

No publicly confirmed DNA identification or investigative genetic genealogy breakthrough was located in the reviewed materials.

Likewise, the sources do not identify any officially named suspect or person of interest, an arrest, or criminal charges connected to his disappearance.

This does not establish that investigators possess no evidence or have conducted no forensic examinations. It means those details have not been publicly verified in the sources reviewed for this article.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

There are several unanswered questions in the Priestley case, but the available information does not support treating any particular explanation as established fact.

Did Something Happen After His Final Known Activities?

Priestley’s last documented activities involved a custody hearing and delivering money to his daughter.

What happened afterward remains unknown.

There is no publicly verified account establishing where he went next, whom he encountered, or whether he returned to his residence.

Although the timing of his disappearance raises understandable questions, the custody hearing itself is not evidence of a motive or a crime.

Was the House Fire Connected?

The destruction of Priestley’s residence several months after his disappearance remains an unusual aspect of the case.

However, investigators have not publicly established a connection between the two events.

The fire could be relevant, unrelated, or significant in a way not yet publicly understood. None of those possibilities can responsibly be presented as a finding without supporting evidence.

Was Foul Play Involved?

The circumstances of Priestley’s disappearance have led to ongoing concern, but his case remains publicly classified as a missing-person investigation.

The reviewed official and news sources do not establish that Priestley was murdered.

It would therefore be inaccurate to identify the disappearance as a confirmed homicide or to name anyone as responsible.

Could Someone Still Hold Important Information?

Investigators have repeatedly requested assistance from the public, suggesting that additional firsthand information may be important.

Potentially relevant information could include an independently verifiable sighting after February 29, knowledge of his movements, or information concerning his residence.

These are possible avenues for information, not claims that particular witnesses or evidence exist.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates

February 27, 2026: Family Renews Appeal After Ten Years

The most recent substantive, case-specific investigative reporting located for this article was published by WSAZ on February 27, 2026.

Reporter Addie Smith interviewed Priestley’s mother, Pam Wade, and Sgt. Jeremy Burns of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.

Wade described her continuing efforts to locate her son, including searching places where she believed he might have been.

She also discussed the emotional difficulty of living without knowing what happened to him.

Sgt. Burns confirmed that the sheriff’s office continued to follow up on information received about the disappearance.

He explained that investigators use public appeals to generate leads, document incoming tips, and continue examining the case.

The department had recently reposted Priestley’s information in an effort to reach people who might know something.

This was a renewed public appeal and confirmation of continuing investigative activity, not an announcement of a new suspect, recovered remains, arrest, or solved case.

Current Official Case Listing

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office maintains a dedicated case page for Marshall “Andy” Priestley.

The listing provides details about his disappearance, physical identifiers, the circumstances surrounding the original missing-person report, and a way for the public to submit information.

It also identifies the sheriff’s office case number as 2016-96031602 and the National Crime Information Center missing-person entry number as M923134757.

The continuing presence of his case in the department’s unsolved-case materials provides an official reference for people seeking to share information.

Status as of October 19, 2026

Based on the publicly available materials reviewed, Priestley’s disappearance remains unresolved.

No publicly confirmed developments after the February 2026 anniversary reporting were located that establish an arrest, identification of remains, criminal charges, or a definitive explanation for his disappearance.

The investigation continues to be treated as an open missing-person case in the latest verified reporting.

Conclusion: A Family Still Waiting for Answers

More than ten years have passed since Marshall “Andy” Priestley II disappeared from Cross Lanes, West Virginia.

His family has endured years of uncertainty, while investigators have continued gathering information and appealing to anyone who might help explain his disappearance.

The known timeline is limited but significant: Priestley attended a custody hearing, delivered money to his daughter, and was not heard from again. His mother reported him missing more than two weeks later, and his home was destroyed by fire months afterward.

None of these circumstances establishes what happened to him.

For his mother, his children, and others who knew him, the unanswered questions remain deeply personal.

Anyone with credible information about Priestley’s whereabouts, his activities around February 29, 2016, or the circumstances of his disappearance is encouraged to contact the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Section at 304-357-0556.

Information can also be submitted through the sheriff’s office’s official case page.

Even after a decade, a firsthand account or previously unreported detail could help investigators establish what happened to Andy Priestley.