Sheriff's office has no leads in disappearance

Nearly nine months ago, 32-year-old William “Bill” Tebby walked out of a Libby bar for a smoke. He hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

Tebby’s sister, Wendy Noble, said she has no idea what’s become of her brother. “Honestly, I don’t know,” she said. “He was here and then he was gone. We don’t know what he was up to when he disappeared.”

Tebby was unemployed at the time of his disappearance and had moved in with his mother while going through a divorce. Noble said he was depressed at the time.

Noble lives next door to their mother, and said Bill would “come and go” with friends, but neither she nor her mother knew Bill’s friends and associates.

On the night of his disappearance, May 30, 2014, Tebby left home in his mother’s car and never returned. The car was recovered in downtown Libby. No sign of Tebby, outside of rumor, was to be found.

Rumors surrounding the disappearance began to surface almost immediately.

One such rumor is that a substantial quantity of marijuana was in the trunk of the car on the night Tebby vanished. Detective Dave Hall of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the lead investigator on the case, said no marijuana or any other illegal drug, was recovered with the car.

Another rumor mentioned Tebby being sighted walking near Mineral Avenue with two unidentified men “in the early morning hours” of May 31. Hall said he has also been unable to confirm that rumor.

“We haven’t had any real leads in this case,” Hall said. “We’ve had lots of rumors but nothing that’s led us anywhere.”

Sheriff’s investigators said there has been no activity on Tebby’s credit cards or bank account, and his cell phone was left at his mother’s home on the night he disappeared. Search and rescue operations in the Kootenai River turned up no results, nor was there any record of Tebby boarding a train from Libby.

Hall said even though the case has gone cold, he’s not giving up. He said he follows every rumor and maintains contact with other law enforcement agencies in hopes of finding Tebby safe and unharmed. He also follows up on every unidentified body he hears about, knowing the family wants to find Bill alive, but also needs answers and some sort of closure.

Tebby’s mother, Judy Hutchison, is “struggling with this every day,” Noble said. “I go through periods of ups and downs. My brother in Kalispell is beside himself, he doesn’t know what to do.”

Hall said he has no evidence that leads him to suspect foul play, but nothing indicates otherwise, either.

Tebby’s family said even though they’re used to Bill coming and going, being out of contact for even just a few weeks is unusual for him.

Tebby is currently listed as missing with the Montana Missing Persons Clearinghouse and individuals with any information are asked to contact the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at 406-293-4112.