GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. (WXIA) -- May 4, 2015, four months to the day after 21-year-old Samuel Waters vanished, and almost three months since his daughter was born in his absence, police launched a new search.
Several teams from the Lawrenceville Police Dept. and the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office searched the area around Suwanee Dam Road and Buford Dam Road in the Buford area.
Lawrenceville Police Captain Jeff Smith said the on-going investigation led detectives to that area to look for possible evidence in the case because, he said, Waters' cell phone records indicate there was a cell tower ping on his phone not long after he disappeared the night of January 4.
The area searched is where Waters grew up and where his relatives still live.
Samuels was last seen on Jan. 4 at around 10 p.m., in Lawrenceville, 16 miles from Monday's search area.
He disappeared near the intersection of Hillcrest Green Drive and Hurricane Shoals Road, not far from the duplex where he lived with his fiancee.
He is 5'10" and around 150 pounds, with green eyes and light brown hair.
Waters' finance gave birth to their daughter on Feb. 11, 2015 -- a little more than a month after he disappeared.
The family has been active on social media, pushing for exposure through their Find Samuel Waters page. They've also set up a fundraising page to help pay for medical expenses for his baby and raise money for a reward for information.
Monday, his financee, Jhel Sola, holding their infant daughter, said through her tears that she prays for Waters' safe return.
Lawrenceville police are not ruling out any possible reason for Waters' disappearance, including foul play.
"It's really so sad," Sola said, taking a deep breath and wiping the tears from her eyes.
She had thought that, for her and Waters, this would be the happiest time of their new lives together – spending time with their new daughter.
It was in December when Sola and Waters moved into the duplex in Lawrenceville.
Waters turned 21 on Dec. 29.
On the night of Jan. 4, Waters got into the car of an acquaintance to buy beer at a convenience store down the street -- two-tenths of a mile from the duplex.
Waters' sister, Consuella Acosta, said that, from the account that the acquaintance gave to police, all of a sudden Waters told told him to stop the car.
"He told the person to let him out of the car, to just let him out of the car," Acosta said. "And then, after that, we never heard from him."
Acosta and Sola said Waters was so excited about the upcoming birth of his daughter -- the couple learned in advance that the baby would be a girl -- he had her name tattooed on his neck.
Acosta said her brother had everything to look forward to.
"He had just gotten an interview at this warehouse," and the interview was scheduled for "the day after he went missing. [The job] was going to be paying pretty decent money, and that's what he had been looking for. He was just so ready to start making money and living with his family and getting his life on track."
So they're sure he would never just leave his family.
He left home without his wallet or any money, he had with him only his drivers license and his cell phone He did not have his own car, and he couldn't have had time to walk the 16 miles to the area where his cell phone pinged soon after he disappeared.
The family is baffled. Everyone tells Jhel just focus on the baby, and, "'Don't think too much, your daughter really needs you right now.'" But she said, in tears, "It's so hard."
She said if she could get a message to Waters, hoping he is somewhere, safe, trying to get home, "I know you're so excited to see her. I know you don't want her to grow up without you."
Detectives are asking that anyone with information about Samuel Waters to call Lawrenceville police, 770-339-2412.
