STEPHENSON — 60 days after 34-year-old Stephenson resident Brett Parrett went missing, his family and community members continue to search for answers.

Parrett was last heard from shortly before midnight on Sunday, April 5 when he called his young daughter. He reportedly told her he was walking along County Road G-12, west of Stephenson.

Jaimie Parrett, who is married to Brett’s brother, Brent, told the Daily Press that Brett’s daughter, who was staying with her grandmother at the time of the call, said her father indicated he’d been walking for 45 minutes or so, he was lost and his phone was about to die.

Jaimie said the family learned that earlier that evening, Brett had walked to a friend’s house and asked the friend and her boyfriend to give him a ride to a woman’s home near Camp Shakey Saloon in Stephenson. The friends reportedly told family they stopped at a gas station before driving him to her home.

Brett Parrett, 34, has been missing since April 5. He last called his young daughter shortly before midnight, saying he was walking along County Road G-12, west of Stephenson. (Courtesy photo)

“Then (the friends) drove him out there, dropped him off at this girl’s house and he was there for what sounds like an hour,” Jaimie said.

Text messages indicate Brett asked the same friends for a ride back, to which they allegedly told him they would pick him up after a brief delay, according to Jaimie.

Brett then told his friends he would start walking down G-12 to meet them. According to Jaimie, text messages indicate he eventually told his friends he had nearly reached Camp Shakey Saloon.

Jaimie said the group of friends later texted Brett after returning home, explaining they had driven to Camp Shakey Saloon but were unable to find him. The friends allegedly did not have enough service near the saloon to text Brett.

This sequence of events occurred around 8 p.m. April 5, according to Jaimie. She also said someone she and Brett went to school with reportedly saw him walking that night and offered him a ride, to which Brett declined.

Stephenson resident Brett Parret, 34, was last seen on Wild Eagle Bar & Grill footage wearing a Green Bay Packers jersey, Green Bay Packers knit cap, dark pants, white headphones, black and white Air Jordans and a gray backpack. (Courtesy photo)

The witness told Jaimie that Brett appeared to be in a normal state of mind during the brief encounter.

“From 8 o’clock and then 11 – sometime right before the midnight phone call saying that he was lost – what happened in between there for those multiple hours?” Jaimie asked. “We’re not sure. We’ve also thought about (if that was) really him on the phone to his daughter.”

Earlier on April 5, Jaimie said Brett spent time with family members of his daughter’s late mother. He later went to Wild Eagle Bar & Grill to meet friends.

Brett was last seen on Wild Eagle Bar & Grill footage wearing a Green Bay Packers jersey, Green Bay Packers knit cap, dark pants, white headphones, black and white Air Jordans and a gray backpack.

It was after he left the bar that Brett walked to a friend’s house and asked for a ride to a woman’s home.

Those who have information regarding Brett’s disappearance are encouraged to contact the Menominee County Sheriff’s Office at 906-863-4441. (Photo courtesy of the Menominee County Sheriff’s Office)

The following night on Monday, April 6, Brett’s mother was concerned that he still hadn’t returned to her home where his daughter was staying.

Jaimie said, “After that long, (Brett’s mother) realized, ‘Okay, he’s not back. This is out of the ordinary. He would never leave his daughter that long.'”

Brett’s mother then contacted Jaimie and her husband, and the family subsequently notified law enforcement of his disappearance.

With still no sign of Brett, Jaimie and a friend searched G-12 on Tuesday, April 7, hoping to find any evidence of his whereabouts.

“When I turned down G-12 — west on G-12, about a mile and a half down, which would be roughly five miles from the house he was at — I found his Green Bay Packer hat,” said Jaimie.

Jaimie added, “I was under the assumption that he was walking (towards Highway 41) with a cell phone dying and it’s pitch black out there at night, (he) lost footing and kind of fell and that’s where the hat fell off, and he wasn’t able to locate it. Then maybe he kept walking.”

She noted that there was still snow on the road at the time and said there was no indication in that area that he had been struck by a vehicle.

Not long after the community learned of Brett’s disappearance, a witness told law enforcement they saw Parrett on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 7, near the woman’s house he had previously been at. The witness said he was standing at a four-way intersection and appeared to be waiting or confused, according to Jaimie.

Jaimie said law enforcement told the family the witness was considered credible. The witness also recalled seeing the man believed to be Parrett wear a Green Bay Packer jersey but no hat.

During the investigation, Jaimie said police reviewed Brett’s phone activity and pinged his device, though the signal only provided a general radius of location.

“There have been so many people searching on horses, helicopters, boats in the water because there’s a river around, dogs out… (there was just no) hard evidence (found) other than that hat,” Jaimie said.

She further attributed search efforts to community members and the No One Left Behind K9 Search and Rescue group who have intensely searched for Brett since the news of his disappearance first broke.

Jaimie concluded, “It’s been pretty amazing to see how much dedicated time (they put into search efforts), you know. Without people like that, we’re not able to be out there and be doing all that stuff, too, with our life. So, it’s been great.”

Jaimie said Brett was a strong athlete in his youth and was well-liked and popular. After high school, she said he experienced periods of substance use and had been incarcerated more than once but later worked toward recovery.

She added that in the time since his disappearance, she has received information suggesting he may have had recent involvement with substance use.

The Parrett family misses Brett dearly. A $5,000 reward from Brett’s family is being offered for information that leads to his location or significantly advances efforts to determine his whereabouts.

Tips may be submitted confidentially. The reward is valid through June 30 and will be paid once credible information is independently verified and materially assists the investigation or reunification efforts.

Those who have information regarding Brett’s disappearance are encouraged to contact the Menominee County Sheriff’s Office at 906-863-4441.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.