The Rock Island Police Department is asking the public for help locating a 22-year-old man who has been missing since Friday, May 15, 2026.
Jackson Ruud was last seen near the intersection of 30th Street and 12th Avenue in Rock Island, Illinois, at around 5:00 in the evening, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
Ruud stands five feet five inches tall and weighs 142 pounds. When he was last seen, he was wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and a ball cap, and he was carrying a backpack.
As of Sunday, May 18, police had still not located him, prompting them to reach out to the broader community for any leads that might help bring him home safely.
Missing person cases involving young adults can be particularly difficult to investigate, especially when there are no immediate signs of foul play and the circumstances surrounding the disappearance remain unclear.
In Ruud’s case, no additional details about the events leading up to his disappearance have been publicly released by the department.
What is known is that he was seen in a specific part of Rock Island on a Friday afternoon and simply did not turn up afterward.
The area around 30th Street and 12th Avenue is a residential part of Rock Island, a city that sits on the banks of the Mississippi River in western Illinois, just across from Davenport, Iowa.
It is a familiar neighborhood to many residents, which makes the community’s role in this search all the more important.
Someone in the area may have seen Ruud walking, may have spoken to him, or may have noticed something that seemed minor at the time but could prove critical to finding him.
The Missing People in America organization, which tracks and verifies official missing person cases nationwide, has also added Ruud to its database and shared his information publicly.
Their database serves as one of the country’s largest resources for missing persons, and cases like Ruud’s are added to help spread awareness beyond local news coverage.
The organization confirmed his last known location, physical description, and the clothing he was wearing at the time of his disappearance.
Investigators and the family are urging anyone who may have crossed paths with Jackson Ruud since Friday evening to come forward, even if the encounter seemed insignificant.
In many missing person cases, a small detail recalled by a bystander has made all the difference in locating someone safely.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the Rock Island Police Department at 309-732-2677 or Crime Stoppers at 309-762-9500, or submit a tip through the P3 Tips app.
Tips submitted through Crime Stoppers can be made anonymously, which removes one of the most common barriers people face when deciding whether to come forward with information.
The search for Jackson Ruud continues, and every hour matters in cases like this. If you live or work near 30th Street and 12th Avenue, or if you have seen a young man matching his description anywhere in or around Rock Island since Friday, May 15, please reach out to authorities immediately.
Bringing Jackson home safe starts with the community paying attention and speaking up.
