ATLANTA – The parents of a Georgia Tech student who was found beaten after being missing for two days said their son somehow got aboard a moving freight train the night of his disappearance.
Jim Hubert said his son, Jimmy Hubert, IV, most likely did something reckless before being found in a ditch near the railroad tracks at DeKalb and Arizona Avenues last week.
An incident report released by Atlanta Police Department reveals new information about the case. Hubert's date the night he disappeared told officers he "seemed sad" and left alone around 11pm. It says his car was also moved from his assigned parking space at some point. The friend who reported him missing told police she thought Hubert was drunk or possibly using recreational drugs that night.
But a family spokesperon countered that statement saying tests were conducted at the hospital and the family was told by APD Detective Anthony Ball Hubert's toxicology reports came back negative. APD told 11Alive that they had no comment on toxicology reports.
There had been reports Hubert jumped on a train after leaving the party. It was assumed that meant he boarded a MARTA train as a passenger. Now, the family has been told there is video of Hubert jumping from a bridge onto a freight train, but say if it exists they have not seen it. Neither police or CSX will confirm the video exists as well, although CSX did say it would turn over surveillance video for investigative purposes and is fully cooperating with law enforcement.
As strange as how Hubert went missing is perhaps how he was found. According to the police report released Wednesday, his friends found him in a ditch by the tracks under a pile of coats. His shoes were also placed beside him and his wallet missing.
Here is Jim Hubert's full statement
We don't have the full story yet about Jimmy's activities and whereabouts during the 55 hours that he was missing. It appears that he somehow got aboard a moving freight train. How he did this is unclear. What happened between his time on the train and the time he was found remains a mystery.Did he do something reckless? It appears that he did. Was there a robbery? Police are still investigating that. To our family, the story hasn't changed: Jimmy is alive today because of a great group of friends who were committed to finding him. We will forever be grateful for that.
Our priority is to focus on Jimmy's health, and he gets stronger every day. He is also remembering more each day, and we are fully cooperating with the on-going police investigation.
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