Terhan Gordon, Missing Since June: Joliet Police Discuss Investigation Status At 5 Months

JOLIET, IL ? The prospects of finding 35-year-old Joliet resident Terhan Gordon grow darker every day as November marks the fifth full month since his disappearance in June. Despite widespread social media attention, nobody has seen or heard from Gordon at any point since the last week of June. He remained missing in July, August, September, October and now, so far in November.

On July 9, Joliet police announced that the silver Pontiac G6 sedan that Gordon was believed to be driving at the time of his disappearance was found abandoned and is now in their possession. Joliet police have not disclosed where Gordon's vehicle was discovered, other than to say that it was found in another community.

Last week, Joliet Patch interviewed Detective Sgt. Tizoc Landeros, who emphasized that efforts to find Gordon and uncover the mystery behind his disappearance are very much ongoing. According to Landeros, Joliet police believe Gordon was in the area of Collins Street and the south end of Joliet. Joliet police list his disappearance as June 27.

In early July, Joliet detectives conducted a search of a wooded area near the 600 block of Woodruff Road in Joliet utilizing K9s and drones.

"We have not been able to locate any new pieces of evidence," Landeros told Joliet Patch on Thursday. "We are still looking for anybody with information, big or small, about Terhan Gordon that day, anything suspicious or anything that may have seemed to the public as irrelevant information."

Landeros said his fellow detectives have conducted several interviews with people "who may have some information, and we are relying on people hopefully being honest with us."

Missing Under Suspicious Circumstances

The Joliet Police Department has classified Gordon's disappearance as missing under suspicious circumstances. For that criteria, "we have no explanation for the disappearance," Landeros said. He pointed out Gordon has no history of going missing for days, weeks or months at a time.

Landeros said that Joliet police continue to work with a number of outside police departments in hopes of finding Gordon. "We continue to network with our neighboring agencies on any information as to his whereabouts."

At this point, Joliet police do not believe that Gordon went into hiding or left his community on his own. On rare occasion, adults will go missing in order to leave family or friends behind in order to start a new life somewhere else, often far away, but Landeros doubts that's the case with Gordon.

"He was definitely seen in the Joliet area," Landeros noted. "We don't have any evidence of him being outside the Joliet area."

Landeros also told Joliet Patch that detectives do not believe that Gordon wound up underwater in the Des Plaines River. There have been no reported sightings by any witnesses nor any physical, video or forensic evidence indicating that Gordon went voluntarily or was taken to the canal.

Joliet Patch asked Landeros if detectives believe that Gordon remains alive, or whether they're investigating his disappearance as a potential homicide.

"We don't want to speculate on whether he's alive or not," Landeros said. "We will wait on making those assumptions.

"This investigation remains very active, and we will review any anonymous tips. We are constantly trying to look into it."

Joliet detectives remain in contact with Gordon's family on a regular or daily basis.

"We're in contact with someone from this family, and it's assigned to a detective, Detective Rutkoski, he oversees the investigation and is the go-to person," Landeros explained.

In February, Joliet Patch reported that the Joliet Exchange Club announced that a pair of detectives, Raymond Jansma and Jonathon Rutkoski, were named the Joliet Police Department's 2024 Exchange Club Officers of the Year.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Terhan Gordon is urged to call 911 or 815-726-2491. Information may also be provided to the Joliet Police Investigation Division at (815) 724-3020. Tips leading to his location may qualify for a reward through Will County Crime Stoppers by calling 800-323-6734 or online if they wish to remain anonymous.

Gordon is 5-foot-8 and weighs 165 lbs. He has brown eyes, brown hair and has tattoos over his eyebrows and his neck. The police revealed he was last seen wearing brown pants, brown sandals and carrying a black backpack.