WINN PARISH (KTVE/KARD)— It’s been a little over a decade since a Caldwell Parish man was reported missing. Eleven years later, his family is still desperate for answers and longing to see their loved one again.
Phillip “Slim” Wheat or “Wheat Bread” is the youngest of three children reared by their father in Columbia, Louisiana. His sister, Frances Wheat describes him as a loving and caring person and their family tight-knit.
“Phillip was a loving person. We all grew up. Me and my two brothers we were very close. My father raised us. He would give his shirt off his back to help anybody. He was kind. He was gentle… He was a good person, but he did have a bad side to him”, said Frances.
When Frances says “bad side”, she’s referring to his drug abuse that began at an early age but never changed the way she felt about her brother.
“He got involved in drugs at a young age. He spent time in and out of jail. But as his family, we never stopped loving him”, she explained.
Frances had no idea Thanksgiving 2011 would be the last time she would see her brother. “We spent the holiday together, enjoyed our time, and that was the last time I actually saw him”, she added.
Four months later, no word or sight of Phillip despite always being in contact with family. His father decided to report him missing to the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office. Frances said, “he went out to Winnfield, and explained to them what was going on. He hadn’t been in contact with his son in a couple of weeks… Everything just kind of went radio silence”.
Frances says her father was told by law enforcement, that Phillip was last seen in early March 2012 at Iron Road, just south of Winnfield and east of La Hwy 167.
“At that time he was running with a really bad crowd in the Winnfield area and I got a couple of phone calls from him between I want to say January and the beginning of March…. kind of sounding desperate… asking for money, if I could help him, said if I don’t, couldn’t help him then something bad could potentially happen to him. You know, that’s what he told me on the phone”, Frances said.
Not even a month after Phillip was reported missing, his father passed away and Frances feels as if her brother’s disappearance led to his death. “I know it took a toll on my dad. I know it did. Deep in my heart and all of the phone conversations, I know it took a toll on him. I could tell in his voice. He says, I just want to know what happened to my baby son, I just want to you know, where’s he at? My dad would call me crying just wanting to know what happened to his son”, she cried.
Over time, many rumors have circulated about what happened to Phillip, but those rumors never led to any solid leads for detectives. Frances says her brother would have never just walked away from his family or his life.
“No, because my dad died one month later and my brother didn’t appear at my father’s funeral? Our father’s funeral? Something isn’t right with that picture right there”, she continued.
Years later Frances and her family are pleading for help from law enforcement to find her brother.
Please do something. There has to be, somebody out there that knows something….Phillip is a son, a father to a daughter that he’s never gotten to meet. To this very day, she’s a beautiful young productive girl that would have loved to of met her father.
Frances Wheat
Have you seen Phillip “Slim” Wheat? He’s described as a White male, 6′ tall, with brown eyes, brown hair, and several tattoos. Call Crime Stoppers at 318-388-CASH with any information on his whereabouts.
