New search underway for Sebastian Rogers as investigators confirm glasses found were not his

Investigators were spotted scouring woodland and creeks near the 15-year-old’s home in Tennessee

A renewed search got underway for Sebastian Rogers, 15, in Hendersonville, Tennessee on 3 April 2024 (News Channel 5)

A pair of glasses found in the area where teenager Sebastian Rogers disappeared in Tennessee did not belong to him, investigators confirmed on Wednesday morning. A new search has begun in the area where the autistic 15-year-old disappeared more than five weeks ago.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Eric Craddock, chief deputy for the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), confirmed that the glasses had been found, with an investigation underway.

On Wednesday morning, SCSO issued an update, saying it wanted to “clarify that the eyeglasses recently found are not related to Sebastian Rogers”.

The update came after the office announced its renewed search, with dozens of officers seen searching around a highway known as Long Hollow Pike, just north of Hendersonville.

In a statement, SCSO said it and other agencies were conducting “another thorough search” of the area close to where the 15-year-old vanished on 25 February,

“Despite exhaustive efforts, there are no new leads or evidence to indicate the search will be immediately fruitful,” SCSO said. “However, we are committed to leaving no stone unturned in our mission to locate Sebastian and bring him home safely.”

Photos and video from the scene showed officers scouring the area on foot, including climbing through thickets alongside creeks, while rafts were also brought in.

It’s believed much of this area has been searched before, but at a press conference yesterday the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Susan Niland said they were planning to re-check leads.

“We are not done,” Ms Niland said on Tuesday. “It’s gone back to what could be considered good old-fashioned police work.

“Interviewing individuals, reinterviewing individuals, checking leads, rechecking leads.”

In a separate update on Wednesday, TBI confirmed its agents were involved in the new search.

The bureau also said that an altered version of Sebastian’s Amber Alert posted has been shared on social media.

“Please be aware that a lot of false information is being posted through multiple social media channels,” the agency said, adding it was continuing to use the original poster shared more than a month ago.

The 15-year-old has not been seen since he went to bed on 25 February at his mother’s home in Hendersonville.

When she went to get him up for school the next day, he was gone, with law enforcement repeatedly saying there is no evidence of foul play.

On Tuesday, Ms Niland said that speculation around the case had been a “distraction” and urged people to only share credible tips with investigators using the tip line at 1-800-TBI-FIND or by email via TipsToTBI@tbi.tn.gov.