HESPERIA, Michigan — It's been a year since a Newaygo County husband and father, Steve Millis, disappeared without a trace. But his family is as determined as ever to find him and bring him home.
"It's been a living hell on our family. Nothing is the same," said Steve's wife, Stephanie Millis.
Stephanie Millis says her husband's disappearance has had a profound impact on everyone, but especially the children and grandchildren.
"The hardest part is watching the torture this has put my children through. They don't sleep at night. They dream of their dad," she said.
Family members say 49-year-old Steve Millis stopped at the Dollar General located at 395 E. South Street in Hesperia to buy cat food and then meet someone in the parking lot to sell fishing gear. Surveillance cameras captured Millis on Jan. 4, 2019 walking in and out of the store wearing jeans and a red flannel jacket. But, what happened next remains a mystery.
"He would have never, ever just gone off. Especially like that without a word," said Stephanie Millis. "He was a family man. He loved all of us so much."
She says the family has suspected foul play from the very beginning. Police found some of belongings inside the unlocked vehicle abandoned at the store.
The family has spent the past year working with police and searching for Steve.
One of those searches took place on the one year anniversary of his disappearance. She says it was based on a new lead.
"There was someone that came forward recently and gave us reason to believe that he was dumped in this location near Walkerville in a swampy area. I can't really say much more than that," she says.
Meanwhile, she says the family will continue to do whatever they can to find Steve and bring him home.
"If he had passed on a more natural way, we could have had closure to that and gone on to heal. There is no healing from this. If you know anything, come forward. Let's put closure to this and let my family begin to heal," Stephanie Millis said.
Anyone with information about Millis' disappearance is asked to call the Newaygo County sheriff's Department.
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