AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Family and friends of a local man gone missing in Richmond County say they believe there is more to his disappearance.

NewsChannel 6 spoke with Lisa Sistare-Harkins, who said she last spoke with her friend back in November.

“I asked him if he and his wife wanted to go over for Thanksgiving dinner. He said no that they were good and they were just going to eat at the house. And that was the last time I talked with him,” she said.

Edward Cruey, a 55-year-old husband from the Glenn Hills area of Augusta, went missing back in November. A Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Case Report states Cruey’s wife, Sandra Cruey, said he left their home on Jeanne Road and Lumpkin Road the Saturday before Thanksgiving. But his best friend of nearly 40 years, Lisa Sistare-Harkins, said if he was trying to leave on his own, the first place he would have gone, is her home.

“So, I called his dad in Virginia and his dad said that they hadn’t heard from him either since right before Thanksgiving,” Sistare-Harkins added.

That family came to Augusta last month and they alerted authorities.

“His wife never filed a missing persons report,” she said. “At the time his father and stepmother came down he had been missing three weeks. She had not filed a report. When they went to the house and asked her where he was all she said was he left to go have dinner with a friend for Thanksgiving and he didn’t come back. The friend he would have been going to have Thanksgiving dinner with probably would have been me.”

Joining the family in the search is Project Drew, posting flyers around the neighborhood in hopes that someone may know something.

But Sistare-Harkins said her friend would never disappear without reaching out to her or a family member. She said she’s concerned because of recent problems in his marriage.

She said of Cruey’s wife, “She got arrested for domestic violence in June or July of 2019. She hit him in the head with a hammer.”

Cruey’s family told authorities of the simple battery case in the missing person’s report. They also let investigators know about a protection order against his spouse.

And, back in August, this GoFundMe plea from an Eddie Cruey needing help with bills totaling $750.

A spokesperson from Project Drew shared a recent photo of the Cruey home complete with what they say are his personal items, which include a mattress and his favorite grill.

“A lot of people know each other in that neighborhood. So, somebody in that neighborhood knows something,” his best friend added.

NewsChannel 6 went to the Cruey home and a woman was outside with a dog. When we tried to ask her questions, she went back into the home and closed the door.

The investigation is on-going. Anyone with information should contact the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

Photojournalist: Mark Gaskins