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WHARTON – In downtown Wharton, on the banks of the Colorado, is a mystery as deep as parts of the river itself.

KHOU-TV

Bobby Jones

“I’m frustrated it’s taken so long,” said resident James Faldyn.

Faldyn is a friend and fan of Bobby Jones who is missing.

As 11 News reported in June, the 48-year-old disc jockey never showed up for work at KULP 1390 AM in El Campo.

Tire tracks were discovered from a Wharton road to the Colorado River then receding flood waters revealed Jones’ license plate.

“This is his route that he goes to work,” Faldyn explained.

Some theorize the DJ and popular polka band leader was run off the road. Others wonder if maybe he just lost control of his vehicle.

But Wharton County Sheriff’s deputies had divers and a sonar team come from Houston. They searched six miles downstream, but to this day haven’t found another clue.

As time passes and no evidence surfaces, rumors start to spread. Some folks don’t believe Jones is in the river at all. One friend said she thinks he staged his disappearance to escape from a growing gambling debt.

“I knew the guy,” Faldyn remembered. “He liked to gamble. I don’t know about his debts. He probably had a hard time. He had a little health problem. He probably had a hard time with insurance.”

Many refuse to believe Jones would fake his own death. But friends like Faldyn pray he’s still alive.

“Oh, he was one great person,” Faldyn recollected. “He went to nursing homes and played [polka] on his own time.”

Investigators say Jones’ credit cards and cell phone have not been used since he vanished.

Deputies say silt might have buried the car in the river after recent heavy rains, making the disappearance of Bobby Jones even more mysterious.