COLLEGE STATION, Texas — A search is underway for a missing student from Texas A&M University.
College Station police said Tanner Hoang, 22, was last seen Friday around 11 a.m. on Colgate Drive near Highway 6 and Wolf Pen Creek Park.
Police said Hoang may have left the area in a silver car. They also said his family was in town to attend a graduation ceremony, but that he went missing before meeting them for lunch.
Hoang is 6 feet tall and weighs about 175 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Police said they're also looking for a 2009 Lexus ES350 with Texas plates BS2 C737.
Anyone with information on his disappearance is asked to contact the College Station Police Department at 979-764-3600.
Who is Hoang?
Tanner Hoang is from Flower Mound in the Dallas area but was studying mechanical engineering at Texas A&M.
"We want him back, we want him back home with us," his uncle, Tuan Hoang, who lives in League City, said. “He is a fun-loving, kinda quiet but personable young man and very humble. Any parent would love someone like Tanner to be their son."
His family told KHOU 11 News that Tanner was supposed to be graduating, but they have since learned he fell short of the requirements to walk across the stage.
“We are just asking everybody to continue to pray, we believe in the power of prayer, and we are asking God to bring Tanner back to us," Tuan said.
There have been sightings. His family shared a video of Tanner's car driving west of College Station. It was in Caldwell on Highway 21, heading towards Bastrop.
“The biggest, most visible thing is going to be the vehicle – a silver Lexus with a specific license plate (BS2C737). That’s something people can be looking for," said Chuck Fleeger, with Amber Alert Network Brazos Valley.
Fleeger used to work for the College Station Police Department and now runs Amber Alert Network Brazos Valley. The nonprofit has not issued an Amber Alert for Tanner's case because it doesn't meet the age requirements, but Fleeger is assisting the family.
“Bottom line, it’s somebody’s loved one who is not where they are supposed to be, so we want to do everything we can to get the word out to the public and help bring that loved one home," Fleeger said.
In the meantime, Tanner's family said if you see him, they want him to hear this message.
“Just let him know his family loves him, his entire extended family, that God loves him, there’s nothing that he has done that would keep us from loving him," Tuan said.
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What to do when someone goes missing
Thousands of people go missing every year across the United States, and there are organizations and law enforcement agencies that work to bring them home to loved ones.
The Texas Center for the Missing is an organization with Houston roots that works to educate loved ones and authorities on finding the lost.
From resources that deal with missing children to endangered adults, the non-profit organization has compiled a wealth of resources to help.
There is no 24-hour waiting period required to report a person missing, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.