It has been nearly two weeks since Decemius Strong was last seen by duck hunters in the woods just outside of Indianola, leaving authorities reorganizing their efforts after a two-day search was called off on Saturday.
In the midst of Strong’s disappearance, former classmates reflect on their time spent with the 28-year-old.
Strong attended St. Joseph Catholic School in Greenville, where he made a lasting impression on his classmates.
Friend Dimitri Hale recalls how welcoming Strong was when he moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2010.
“I didn’t know anybody, but Decemius was one of the people that made me feel comfortable and once we joined the basketball team together, we then got closer,” Hale said. “I've known him for over 10 years now.”
Hale recalls his fondest memories of Strong’s resilience on the basketball court.
“Decemius was extremely uncoordinated when it came to basketball,” Hale said. “As time went, he got better through time. We used to hype him up to dunk the ball because he was getting up there.”
Strong was known by his friends to be selfless by helping fellow classmates with assignments and being a shoulder to lean on.
“Decemius helped a lot of people who were struggling with their assignments,” Hale said. “He was smart.”
Hale also credits Strong for being there for him when his father passed.
“Our circle was there for me,” Hale said. “They never let me feel alone during my grievance. They became my brothers during that time. I credit Decemius a lot with that.”
Ladarrien Evans was also a part of that circle and knows Strong to be that same selfless person Hale describes.
“D is a very fun person to be around, as well as loyal, and he’s very caring. He’s one of the most intelligent people I know. He would literally give the shirt off his back if you needed.” Evans said.
The Sunflower County Sheriff’s Department is currently handling Strong’s disappearance. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation issued a Silver Alert for Strong last Thursday.
“What we are doing is going back and taking statements, talking to parties that witnessed different things about when he was seen,” Sheriff James Haywood said.
Sunflower County Search & Rescue conducted a multi-day search in the Bayou Road area south of the industrial park in Indianola late last week.
Haywood said there was a thorough search conducted in the area Strong was last seen in, and they found some clothing that amounted to “articles of interest.”
“I’m 99.9% sure he is not in that area,” Haywood said.
If anyone has information regarding the whereabouts of Strong, contact the Sunflower County’s Sheriff’s Department at 662-887-2121.
