Kingston Police probing the mysterious disappearance of James Switzer

It’s been more than two weeks since anyone who knows James Switzer has seen him, including Kristal Robertson, his girlfriend of more than six years. 

She last saw Switzer before going to bed on Dec. 25.

“When I woke up he was gone,” Robertson said. 

Robertson noticed an empty pack of cigarettes on their kitchen table and assumed Switzer had left to buy more at a nearby corner store.

But minutes turned into hours and before she knew it Switzer had been gone for an entire day.

“I called his mom, just to check and make sure he was there,” Robertson said. “He wasn’t, so we filed a (police) report for him at that point.”

Through its investigation, Kingston Police have confirmed Switzer left his and Robertson’s Castell Road apartment building around midnight on Dec. 25 and did in fact go to the nearby gas station. But after that, they’re not sure.

Other than the clothes he was wearing, his keys and his wallet, Switzer left everything behind, including his cell phone.

A Kingston Police Facebook post asking for help locating Switzer has been shared more than 6,000 times, and has led to a few leads.

“We’ve gotten tips through social media of a sighting in Belleville at the casino, and we’ve gotten a tip of a sighting in Ottawa that we’re still following up on,” Kingston Police Sgt. Jay Finn said, although he did say he’s not sure those sightings were in fact Switzer.

Since his disappearance, Switzer’s longtime girlfriend has had to continue her life, including going back to work, not knowing where he is or why he’s gone. What’s most difficult, she said, is there was nothing about Switzer or his behaviour that seemed out of the ordinary.

“I honestly don’t know. I’m thinking positive, I’m trying to you know?”