HOUSTON — DNA tests confirm that remains found near Lake Livingston in 2020 belong to a young Katy man who went missing seven years ago, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO).
Kyle Rugg was 20 when he disappeared after a fishing trip to Lake Livingston with some friends. Authorities said he attended a party at a motel with friends on March 3 and went to the Polk County area the next day to fish.
“Not knowing kept the hope alive," mother Judy Rugg said. "So knowing removes any chance that we’ll get him back.”
Judy and her husband Les Rugg have looked twice at every face they passed that resembled their son for the past seven years.
But not anymore.
“You realize that the next time you’re driving down the street and you go to look at somebody, you go, 'Oh wait, that can’t be him. That’s not even a possibility anymore,'" Judy Rugg said.
PCSO said the remains indicate Rugg was murdered.
The Ruggs are now determined to find the person who took their son's life. A $25,000 reward is offered for information.
The Ruggs are confident somebody knows something.
“I don’t understand how somebody’s conscious would let them live with that and not say anything," Les Rugg said. "I can’t grasp that.”
There is now an open investigation into Kyle's death.
Anyone with information is urged to call 936-327-6810, or you can call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 936-327-7867.