The following is a statement from my brother, Ryan Neily in regards to James DeNoyer, a person of interest in the mysterious disappearance of our dad.
It was sent to America’s Most Wanted, 2008.
June of 2004, my Dad got involved with Jim DeNoyer (person of interest) because he said my Dad and I could build a shop on his property. My Dad had an argument with Jim and he left leaving all of his stuff, equipment and a truck. I moved having to leave these items behind but Jim told me it was alright.
When Jim got busted by Animal Control (Dec 2005) my Dad finally came back to help me move everything to Albion where my Dad was living. At the time, it was almost impossible to contact Jim. So my Dad and I went there and retrieved everything in one day. The next day we went back to get my Dad’s truck and Jim was there and called the sheriffs. But they came and left. Jim had me get off the property as I watched my Dad retrieve his truck with a friend named Mark.
At that time Jim was being really nice to my Dad. Jim had told my Dad he could have an old truck that was there on the property even though Jim didn’t own it. A few months later my Dad went missing for 2 or 3 weeks so I filed a report. But friends and family said to withdraw the missing persons report because they all thought Dad was on his way to Santa Cruz, and would be upset if we turned him in. My Dad takes Lithium so it’s hard to tell when Dad is Dad. The police did find him, he was having car problem, they observed him and left him alone. I found out later that he went to Westport after fixing his car instead of coming back to Albion or continuing on to Santa Cruz. In fact he returned with his battery to take his other car. But what he did was drive to Jim’s, leaving two vehicles there, his T-Bird and Mustang. When he left I tried to warn him not to go to Jim’s alone, to take his friend, Mark. But you don’t disagree with Dad when he is off his medication. He went to Jim’s to get the old truck Jim had promised him. A neighbor named Thad, heard shots at 2 or 3 in the morning about the time my Dad was at Jim’s in April, 2006. I had lived in the same creek area for 7 years and never heard gun fire, everyone says the same thing - I know everyone and everyone knows each other. Thad said the gun fire came from Jim’s property. He heard three shots, a hesitation then two more.
I had previously asked the police to check my Dad’s checking account and they said it would take to long. My sister, Lisa was able to access his Bank of America account through the internet. The Sheriffs also finally checked his Inwood Credit Union account after I had gone to Jim’s to see if my Dad was there - this was about 3 months later. That was when I found his dog, Justice, in a truck with some water and food bowls. I panicked and went to Joe’s, another neighbor to call the police. But Joe told me to go back, maybe Dad is still there. I went back and a guy named Ron Baumeister came down from the barn. He told me he called Jim to tell him I was on the property. I asked Ron why do you have Justice locked up in the truck and where’s my Dad. Ron said he left with his Mustang 3 or 4 months ago. My Dad would never leave without his dog. So I took Justice and told Ron this was a bad time to come to Jim’s and all he did was look at the ground. The next thing he said to me was everyone loves your Dad. The next day the police told me Dad hadn’t taken any money out of his account. I went back and Ron wasn’t there. I walked up to the barn and found both my Dad’s cars there, a T-Bird and the Mustang. Ron told me the previous day Dad left 3 or 4 months ago in his Mustang. My Dad’s glasses and wallet were laying in the T-Bird. It was obvious my Dad was working on the Mustang because it wasn‘t running. So I called and relayed this to the police. They asked me if I was sure so I took pictures and they came out the next morning and towed the cars to the police station. The next day a friend called me saying Jim was over heard saying he wanted to kill me. So I called the police and told them this.
I believe Jim had something to do with my Dad’s disappearance, as I know he had his Uncle, JC (Donald Cavanaugh), beaten up. He took JC to the airport at gunpoint. When Jim found out that JC came back to the Mendocino area to get his personal items, JC came up missing. Thad’s son, Chris, told JC not to go back to Jim’s property to retrieve his stuff and dogs. That was the last Chris heard of JC. It was the same warning I gave my Dad. Jim’s 20 acres is backed by 100’s of 1000’s of acres of BLM land. He could easily have buried or set fire to them. He was a fanatic about clearing his land with large burn piles. If it was 2 young girls who disappeared you would have the entire police, Sheriffs, FBI, dogs, hundreds of volunteers. I also believe the Sheriffs have been slow on their feet because my Dad and I got involved with Jim.
Thank you for your time and everything you do for the missing.
Sincerely,
Ryan K. Neily
