UPDATE, 10/13/20 — James Whetstone, 69 of the Willits area remains and his family and authorities are still looking for any leads or information about his whereabouts. Anyone with any information about Whetstone’s current location or disappearance is encouraged to contact MCSO by calling 707.463.4086.
WILLITS, 10/12/20 — The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) is investigating the disappearance of James Whetstone, a Willits resident who was last seen at his family home on Valley Road at 8:30 a.m. on October 9. Whetstone is a 69 year old man, with blue eyes and shoulder length hair typically in a ponytail. He is 5’11” tall and 250 pounds, and was last seen wearing a grey jacket, blue jeans, and black boots.
Anyone with any information about Whetstone’s current location or disappearance is encouraged to contact MCSO by calling 707.463.4086.
Whetstone is described as being in good health, and according to MCSO “is believed to have either walked away or received a ride from someone in a vehicle, although that is not his usual behavior.” Whetstone’s family has been searching for him, including sharing missing person flyers on social media, for the last several days.
Here’s the Facebook post from MCSO:
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the reported disappearance of James Andrew Whetstone (see attached photograph).
He was last seen on 10-09-20 @ 8:30 AM at the family residence located in the 1500 block of Valley Road in Willits, California.
He is believed to have either walked away or received a ride from someone in a vehicle, although that is not his usual behavior.
He is described as a 69 year-old male, standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 250 pounds. He has blue eyes and shoulder length gray hair that he usually wears in a ponytail.
He was last seen wearing a gray jacket, blue jeans and black boots. He is reportedly in good physical health for his age.
Anyone with information about James Andrew Whetstone’s current whereabouts is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office by calling 707-463-4086.
MCSO Case# 2020-25082
James’ body was located behind his home in a shallow grave covered by debris and his son was arrested for murder
Press release from MCSO regarding locating his body:
https://us12.campaign-archive.com/?u=d58e8d47c32727a999b3dde01&id=801e07834c
My family and I lived 2 houses away from the Whetstones from 1989 until 2000. Two of my 3 sons played with their children, mostly with Andy Whetstone. I am not surprised to hear that one of the kids killed the father. From what I saw and heard from my sons that man was a monster. Being a mandated reporter, at the time, I made a report to CPS but never saw any investigation. The report was based on how abusive Mr. Whetstone was to his children and his wife. I feel so sad for the son who killed him. Had CPS done their job this may have been avoided.