Missing Bartlesville man, without a trace

It's been three months since a Bartlesville husband and father vanished without a trace. <br><br>Dave Rockey's friends and family are still baffled by his disappearance, and Bartlesville Police

Friday, November 15th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

It's been three months since a Bartlesville husband and father vanished without a trace.

Dave Rockey's friends and family are still baffled by his disappearance, and Bartlesville Police have few leads. News on six anchor Tami Marler says one day, Dave Rockey was getting ready to start a new job and take on some projects around the house, the next day, he was gone without a trace.

For travelers heading south to Tulsa from Bartlesville, Dave Rockey is "larger than life." A billboard is part of his family's effort to end three months of misery. "Weâ€™re just praying for closure to happen, whether he's out there, whether he's out there and not mentally competent, whether he's dead. We need to know something. The not knowing is just incredibly difficult."

Peggy Rockey says her husband of 26 years left home one morning in august for a job interview, with only the clothes on his back, and a hundred dollars in his pocket. "Vanished, just disappeared. And I really feel that he is out there somewhere; just lost. I've never thought he was dead from the beginning."

Peggy says the day before Rockey disappeared. They'd spent the day helping their oldest son get settled into college. She says he's always been active with his two boys. His disappearance has been especially hard on them. "Confused. They also are having a hard time having a healthy emotion because they're not sure which way to go. If you want to get angry, whom do you get angry at? He's simply not here. If you want to grieve, you don't have a body; it's hard to grieve a death if you don't know that he's dead."

Peggy and her friends sent thousands of fliers all over the state and the country. "And anytime anyone calls in with any sightings or leads or anything like that, of course we're going to check on those. Until then, we've pretty well hit a wall." Lieutenant Mike Richardson says Bartlesville Police haven't received any tips since a woman in south Tulsa called, saying she thought she spotted him.

Since that first week, nothing. It's as if this husband and father, evaporated. â€œI know he's out there, and someone has seen something or knows something, just does not realize how important it is that they call and tell us what they know." Peggy says part of her dies every time she hears a report of police finding an unidentified body. She says the last three months have been devastating for her and her sons.

If you think you've seen Dave Rockey, call Bartlesville Police at 918-338-4001. Peggy rocky just wants some kind of answer.