Mom of Navy sailor who vanished after leaving Illinois bar speaks out, says Seamus Gray search ‘gut-wrenching’

The mother of a 21-year-old Navy sailor who vanished nearly 10 days ago after leaving a bar in Illinois is speaking out, saying the search for Seamus Gray is “grueling, nauseating, heartbreaking and quite honestly soul crushing.” 

Kerry Gray has made an emotional post on Facebook after returning home to Florida from Waukegan, Illinois, where police say Seamus was last seen in the early morning hours of March 18. 

“The last 8 days have been grueling, nauseating, heartbreaking and quite honestly soul crushing,” Gray wrote. “This boy is my heart, my world, my love of my life along with his little brother Deck. 

“As I type this I’m trying not to throw up. I cannot sleep, and will not sleep until I have answers as to where my son is, and what happened to him,” she added. 

US SAILOR GOES MISSING AFTER LEAVING ILLINOIS BAR; SEARCH REACHES STANDSTILL AS MOTHER PLEADS FOR HELP 

Waukegan Police Cmdr. Scott Chastain told reporters Friday the last time Gray was seen on surveillance footage, he was in “close proximity” to the harbor in Waukegan along Lake Michigan. However, exhaustive searches on land and water, including with the help of 100 fellow Navy personnel, have come up empty.  

“If he is in the water and that is what happened, it may be days or weeks before the body would come back up,” Chastain said.  

Police said “Gray has not been seen or spoken to since leaving the bar” and that Gray, “a member of the United States Navy assigned to Naval Station Great Lakes, did not report back at his assigned time.”  

Kerry Gray wrote on Facebook Sunday that “The amount of time my friend Julie and I searched through dumpsters, back alleys, back doors of buildings seemed endless.” 

“Without the support of my friends… being with me, fielding calls, asking the questions I couldn’t, and looking at the videos I couldn’t stomach I don’t know how I would have made it through this gut-wrenching week. You are my angels,” she also said. 

SEARCH FOR MISSING TEXAS BOY TAKES STRANGE TURN AS FAMILY FLEES COUNTRY WITHOUT HIM 

On Thursday, police released surveillance footage showing Gray being involved in an apparent altercation outside the Ibiza Nightclub in Waukegan shortly before his disappearance, according to Fox32 Chicago.  

The station, citing police, says Gray visited the bar earlier in the evening on St. Patrick’s Day before returning around closing time and being refused admission.  

The Ibiza bar said Wednesday it was cooperating with the police investigation and that it would help “any way we can” to find Gray. Police said they were looking into the footage. 

Kerry Gray alleged that “Seamus was assaulted outside of the establishment and was pickpocketed.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Waukegan Police Department for comment.

Gray was last seen wearing a pink/red shirt and pants. He stands 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds with brown hair, blue eyes and tattoos on his left arm and rib cage.  

 

Kerry Gray described Seamus as an “exceptional young man willing to die serving and protecting his country” and one who “should have been able to safely walk down a street no matter how Preppy he looked.” 

“I got you my baby boy, I will never stop looking for you,” she said. “I live and breath for you.”