Police seek leads to locate lost man by Eric Blaisdell, Rutland Daily Herald, 14 Apr 2021

By ERIC BLAISDELL STAFF WRITER BARRE — Local officials marked one year since Ralph “Rizz” Jean-Marie’s disappearance by holding a news event at the last place he was seen, and they again urged residents to help them find him. According to police, Jean-Marie, 38, was last seen at The Hollow Inn on South Main Street at about 1 a.m. April 13, 2020. He was reported missing the night of April 15, 2020, more than 60 hours later. He had been living at the motel when police said he had a dispute with his significant other. Jean-Marie is a Black man, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing gray pajama pants, a gray Carhartt jacket, a black-and-gray hat that says “King” and black Adidas sneakers. Police said Jean-Marie has several under- lying health concerns. He has ties to Massachusetts and New York. Police have said his disap- pearance is suspicious because he left behind essential items, including his eyeglasses, a wallet, medications and his identification. His family members have said they believe Jean-Marie is dead because he has not reached out to them, which is not like him. Anyone with information about Jean-Marie’s disappear- ance or his location is asked to call Barre City police at 802- 476-6613. A $5,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the location of Jean-Marie and those respon- sible for his disappearance. Police Chief Tim Bombar- dier said Tuesday he wanted to hold an event at the last place Jean-Marie was seen a year after his disappearance to renew awareness about the case. “Making sure the public knows we haven’t forgotten about Ralph,” Bombardier said. He said he’s working with other agencies to see if the reward amount can be increased in order to persuade someone to come forward with information. Bombardier said his depart- ment has conducted over 56 interviews while investigating the case, but he believes there are people in the community who know what happened to Jean-Marie and haven’t come forward. He said close to 30 areas have been searched using drones, police dogs, scuba teams and search warrants and there is still no concrete evidence as to what happened to Jean-Marie and who might have harmed him. But activists and friends of Jean-Marie have said police aren’t doing enough to find him and haven’t given his fam- ily any answers. A documen- tary is currently in production focusing on his disappearance and some have demanded Bombardier ask the FBI for assistance. A demonstration will take place at Battery Park in Burlington Saturday to raise more awareness of the case. The chief said federal, state and local law enforcement agencies have assisted in the investigation. Vermont State Police have helped search areas. Bombardier said he has been in contact with the FBI about this case and has been offered any and all assistance he needs. Washington County State’s Attorney Rory Thibault said a lack of resources isn’t the issue with this case. Thibault said the county, being in the mid- dle of the state and home of the state’s capital, has a large state police presence and local law enforcement agencies here work well together. He wondered what evi- dence was lost or what oppor- tunities were missed in those 60 hours between Jean-Marie’s disappearance and him being reported missing. The state’s attorney said police don’t have a crime scene to investigate, no body if Jean-Marie is dead, no weapon used against him and no suspect with the moti- vation to kill him. He said investigators are no closer to solving this case than they were a year ago. “It’s easy to say that that is indicative of a lack of effort or a lack of resolve on the part of law enforcement to find answers. From my perspective as the state’s attorney, I think nothing could be further from the truth. No single case has had more resources devoted to it by Barre City than the disappearance of Mr. Jean-Ma- rie,” he said. Supporters of Jean-Marie have asked police to release information about the case, including surveillance foot- age from the motel and what areas have been searched. But Thibault said police need to preserve evidence in the event those who harmed him are charged and the case goes to trial. “The only way we’ll get to the truth is when someone has the courage to come forward, tell the truth and share vital information that’s missing. I suspect that somebody in that first 60 hours before his disappearance was reported knows more than they have let on. And again, I really hope people do the right thing and help solve this, help bring justice for Mr. Jean-Marie because it’s not just a Barre problem. It’s not a Washing- ton County problem. It’s a Vermont problem,” he said. eric.blaisdell @timesargus.com Police seek leads to locate lost man PROVIDED PHOTO Ralph “Rizz” Jean-Marie, 38, went missing in April. Police suspect foul play in his disappearance.