Help Us Bring Uncle Paul Home

Nearly forty years ago, my Uncle Paul left for Georgia to work and build a better life for his daughter, Bianca. Then one day, he simply disappeared.

For decades, our family lived in the space between hope and heartbreak.

My grandmother and my mom spent the better part of their lives searching for their son and brother. They followed every lead, made countless phone calls, and never stopped believing they would find him. Sometimes there was hope. Sometimes there were dead ends. But there was never closure.

They both passed away about two years ago, and were still searching and longing to know what happened to Paul.

I was blessed to meet my Uncle Paul when I was very young. I don’t remember much, but I grew up hearing stories about how much he loved his family and baseball. It’s hard to grieve someone you never truly got to know, and even harder to know that the people who searched the longest never got their answers, and that pained them greatly.

Uncle Paul also leaves behind a daughter, Bianca, who is a little older than me and who grew up without her father. The one thing she wanted her entire life was to find him. As she got older, she carried that search forward herself. She traveled to Georgia. She spoke with investigators. She refused to let his story be forgotten.

Then this year, the day before my mom’s birthday, a Facebook post highlighted a John Doe case in Georgia. We had no idea that within weeks, everything would change.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation had been working on his cold case for years. His remains had been in their care since 1987.

This year, through their tireless work and advancements in identification, our Uncle Paul was finally identified.

After nearly 40 years, we finally have answers.

Now we are asking for your help.

Because his remains are out of state and have been in GBI custody, we must cover the costs for special services handling and transportation to bring him home. These expenses are significant, and we want to ensure he is returned with dignity, care, and the honor he deserves.

Bianca is finally being reunited with her dad, and I am hopeful we can help her shoulder some of the financial burden.

Our family is finally bringing our brother, uncle, and father home.

If you feel moved to donate, share, or simply keep our family in your prayers, we are deeply grateful. Every contribution, no matter the amount, brings us one step closer to bringing Uncle Paul home where he belongs.

Yes, that is me, and I still make the same face :)

After decades of searching, we finally get to say:

We found him.

And now we’re bringing him home.

In loving memory of Paul Gene Billings.