BLACKSBURG, Va. – A search for answers in the disappearance of Johnny Roop, a Virginia Tech student. He was supposed to be heading to his parent’s house in Abingdon but never arrived.
Veronica Roop, Johnny’s mother, is issuing a plea to bring her son home.
“We’re all here for you no matter what’s going on,” said Veronica. “We’re here and all you have to do is call. You know, wherever you are, I’ll be there. I will come to you.”
[READ MORE: 20-year-old Virginia Tech student still missing]
Surveillance footage shows the 20-year-old at a local bank Friday afternoon. That same day his phone pinged at the mall in Christiansburg.
Investigators believe he left the area on his own and while they don’t think he’s in any danger, loved ones said this is not normal behavior.
“A lot of people can put on a smiling face even when they’re not smiling on the inside so I don’t want people to be fooled by that,” said Veronica. “This is just totally out of character. Anybody that knows Johnny would tell you that. There’s definitely something wrong. I don’t know what that is.”
Criminologist and former police officer, Dr. Tod Burke, said because of these unusual circumstances, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is still following leads.
“If they felt like well we have this under control, we know where this person is, we know why this person left, there is no need for the public’s help in this,” said Burke. “They probably wouldn’t ask.”
He said in missing persons cases, the police have to look into every detail of the person’s life.
“You want to find out as much about the individual as possible because when you’re talking about victimology, it’s the study of victims,” said Burke. “It’s not just how they became a victim, but what were their daily routines?”
If you see Johnny Roop or his vehicle, police said to contact your local police department immediately.