Name: Jesse Lee Farber
Nickname/Alias: Jesse Rex
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: August 11, 2015
Location Last Seen: Tamaqua, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
Date of Birth: circa 1985-1986
Age: 29 years
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'5"-5'7"
Weight: 130-135 lbs.
Hair Color: Dark brown, cut very short at time of disappearance
Eye Color: Hazel/ Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Small scar on forehead; scar on side of each cheek from a dog bite as a child. Tattoos: black fox face on left shoulder; black wreath followed by roman numerals 2-4 on left forearm; colorful dragon skull on left shoulder blade; skull with a snake coming out of it on right shoulder; other tattoos but unsure of description or placement - please see photos.
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Available
Clothing: Black hooded sweatshirt
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Camouflage-print style backpack containing work clothes and boots
Mr. Farber was last seen on the evening of August 11, 2015 around 7:20pm by a witness walking out of the town of Tamaqua, heading south on the S-curves on Hunter Street that lead to a trail that goes west into the coal fields near Sharp Mountain. At 9:09pm that same night, Mr. Farber phoned his girlfriend and the mother of his two children, Rachel Carroll, sounding terrified. He told her that he had been chased up a tree by coyotes and he was scared. He told Ms. Carroll that he was up behind the high school and that his cell phone was about to die due to lack of battery. A cell phone tower ping indicated that he was indeed in that area. When authorities went to search the area, they found no trace of Mr. Farber. Jesse was very familiar with the area, as he would take back paths to his grandparents' house.
In December 2016, a hunter discovered a pair of sweatpants in a tree next to a coal ridge of cliffs, shafts, and hidden tunnels in the area where Jesse went missing. The hunter notified Farber’s grandparents, who went out to look. Jesse's grandmother spotted a bag tied up in the same tree, a little further up from where the sweatpants were hanging. When they brought the bag down from the tree, Jesse's grandparents identified it as Jesse's bag due to a pin on it that Jesse's grandfather had given to him. It was not near the area where searches took place.
Authorities believe that Jesse may have accidentally fallen into an open coal shaft, as there were many open, deep, holes all around the path. There are other theories, including the involvement of possible drug dealers. However, these are only theories.
Agency Name: Tamaqua Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Henry Woods, Law Enforcement
Agency Phone Number: (570) 668-5000
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 15-M2473
NamUs Case Number: 30732
NamUs
Times News, (Leighton, PA), 1/27/2016
The Morning Call (Allentown, PA), 11/25/2018
Added: 06/07/2024; Last Updated: 06/07/2024 - By: tk
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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