The Selma Times-Journal

After 23 years with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, Lt. Dwight Woods has only seen a few cases where missing persons were gone for more than two months. In almost all of those cases, he said, the victim was found dead.

Now he’s looking for his own son, 24-year-old Eric Blevins, who’s been missing since at least July 29.

“My hope is somewhat dwindling now,” he said.

Woods said he last talked with Eric on July 22 over the phone and hasn’t heard from his son since.

“That’s the last time I had any communication with him,” Woods said.

Since then, Woods has been vainly searching for his son. He’s received phone calls from people who’ve claimed to have seen him. He even went through his son’s 24th birthday on Aug. 27 without knowing where his son was or even if he was alive.

Eric Dewayne Blevins of Sardis was staying with his second cousin Dorothy Blevins at 817 Lamar St.

Eric often stayed at his cousin’s house, Woods said, where he’d meet friends and go out with them.

The 23-year-old was not employed except for the occasional odd job.

Sometime on July 23, Eric left his cousin’s house. He hasn’t been heard from since.

Woods said his son’s disappearance is getting harder and harder to deal with.

“I don’t understand it,” he said.

Wood said his son didn’t have any enemies that he was aware of.

“I don’t know of anybody that would do him any harm,” Woods said.

The young man had no reason to hide out from anyone, according to his father.

“If he’d gotten into any type trouble he’d would have called me,” Woods said. “I know he was grown, (but) we were close.”

Since Eric’s disappearance, Woods has received calls from concerned citizens who say they’ve seen his son, but none of them have turned up anything concrete.

Woods said the strain is starting to wear on the rest of his family, including his mother, and Eric’s three sisters.

“It’s been tough. It’s real hard … the agony of not knowing where’s he’s at, the agony of not knowing if he’s dead or alive,” Woods said.

Woods is looking for any information on the whereabouts of his son.

He asks that anyone who has seen the young man call the Secret Witness Line at 874-2190 or they can call Woods at home at 334-996-8787. Eric Dewayne Blevins is a black male, 5’8″, 140 lbs., brown eyes, black hair and a medium complexion.

“He had planned to go to truck driving school,” Woods said. “We had went up and got his ID and permit. He was planning on going back in the next month and going to truck driving school.”

Wood said that any information would be helpful in the case.

“If he’s alive somewhere or he just run away with a friend we’re just hoping he would call and let us know where he’s at,” he said. “If he’s murdered – we pray to God it’s not true but – if we could find his body we could give him a decent burial.

“That’s the only son I have.”