ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, May 17, 1996 TAG: 9605170068
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
NOTE: Above
HIS PARENTS THOUGHT he was a chemical engineering major at Tech. But he left school three years ago and seems to have left town Saturday.
Brad Wagner's parents came to Blacksburg on Saturday to attend their son's graduation from Virginia Tech. Instead, they discovered he was not a college student and was nowhere to be found.
Town police are looking for information on Wagner, 21, whose parents reported him missing Monday.
A police news release said he was last seen about 8 a.m. Saturday when a friend dropped him off at a car rental business on South Main Street. No one has heard from Wagner since, police said.
John R. Wagner of Bristol, his father, said he is concerned about his son and called his disappearance totally out of character.
"I don't have any answers; all I have is questions," he said. "Everything goes through your mind."
Friends, family and police have explored places Brad Wagner may have gone, such as favorite camping sites. John Wagner said he does not believe his son went camping, because all of his camping gear was left behind in his apartment.
His parents don't know why Brad Wagner left college in 1993
The elder Wagner said his son never mentioned problems with school. His parents sent all mail from Tech unopened to his son's Blacksburg address, Wagner said.
Brad Wagner entered Virginia Tech in 1992 and declared a chemical engineering major, according to his father. He continued to tell his parents for four years that school was going fine.
His parents continued to send money, thinking he was a student.
"We gave him a tuition check and spending money and paid his rent [for the last four years]," John Wagner said.
A police investigation, however, revealed that Brad Wagner had not been enrolled at Tech since mid-1993.
His father does not care why Brad disappeared.
"We'd just like Brad to call home. No matter what the problem, anything can be worked out," said John Wagner, whose wife - Brad's mother - is seriously ill.
Brad Wagner is 5-feet-10 and weighs about 155 pounds. He has brown eyes and dark brown hair. The car he rented is a maroon, 1996 Oldsmobile Achieva.
Anyone with information about Wagner's whereabouts is asked to call the Blacksburg police at (540) 961-1150.
LENGTH: Medium: 55 linesby CNB