Jaimie Parrett, who is married to Brett’s brother, Brent, said there has been no new information that has led the family directly to Brett, though investigators have reportedly ruled out several possibilities.

“In any good investigation, ruling out scenarios is just as important as discovering new evidence,” Jamie said. “Through extensive research, interviews, phone records and Facebook records, we have been able to determine that there does not appear to be anything suspicious that caused Brett to begin walking that evening.”

Parrett was last seen at the Wild Eagle Bar & Grill in Stephenson on Sunday, April 5.

According to the family, he left the bar to walk to a friend’s house. Those friends later gave him a ride to a woman’s home near Camp Shakey Saloon.

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)

Jaimie said text messages indicate Brett later contacted the same friends asking for a ride back. The friends reportedly told him they would pick him up after a brief delay.

Brett then told his friends he would being walking down County Road G-12 to meet them.

According to Jaimie, messages show Brett later said he was nearing Camp Shakey Saloon. Additional messages allegedly indicate the friends were unable to make contact with him and could not locate him when they arrived to pick him up.

This sequence of events occurred around 8 p.m. April 5, Jamie said. Another witness that knew the family also told Jamie they saw Brett walking that night and offered him a ride, but Brett declined the offer.

“Based on everything we know today, we believe it is very possible that on a cold, dark April night — with a phone losing battery, poor cell service and increasing exhaustion — Brett became disoriented,” Jamie said. “As confusion and the effects of hypothermia began to set in, he may have continued walking in the wrong direction.”

Jamie said the family will continue searching areas that may have been overlooked and expanding the search radius.

“We remain committed to bringing Brett home,” Jamie added.

In a recent update, Jamie said Brett had repeatedly attempted to call both his father and his daughter April 5. Brett also left his father a voicemail around 10:30 p.m., expressing his frustration about being lost.

Brett was last heard from shortly before midnight on April 5 when he called his young daughter, Brileigh. He reportedly told her he was walking along County Road G-12 west of Stephenson, had been walking for 45 minutes or so, was lost and his phone was about to die.

That phone call is the last known communication from Brett. The Parrett family reported Brett missing to law enforcement the following evening.

While Jamie previously questioned whether it was actually Brett who spoke to his daughter on the phone, that concern has since been resolved.

“We also want to address the rumors that have circulated regarding foul play,” Jamie said. “We completely understand why people have wondered about that possibility, especially given the multiple tragic events that occurred in our small community within a short period of time. However, after reviewing the facts and details available to us, we do not currently believe there is evidence supporting that theory.”

On Tuesday, April 7, Jaimie and a friend searched along County Road G-12, hoping to find clues about Brett’s whereabouts. During that search, Jaimie found Brett’s Green Bay Packers hat roughly five miles from the woman’s home where he had been before walking to meet his friends.

At the time he was last seen, Brett was wearing a Green Bay Packers jersey, Green Bay Packers knit cap, dark pants, white headphones, black and white Air Jordans and a gray backpack.

Jaimie said the family’s primary goal remains bringing Brett home.

“We are asking property owners within the G-12 area — and extending approximately 20 miles in every direction — to check trail cameras, security cameras, outbuildings, wooded areas, and other parts of their property,” Jamie said.

Jamie also encouraged property owners who are willing to grant permission for organized searchers to walk up to approximately 100 feet onto the property from the roadway to contact her.

“In the meantime, Brett’s daughter, Brileigh, has been left without both her mother and her father, and because of the unique circumstances surrounding both situations, she has been left without survivor benefits. This has created unimaginable challenges for our family,” Jamie said.

A benefit for Brileigh will be held Saturday, Aug. 22 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the American Legion in Stephenson. Free food will be provided as a thank-you to the community for its support of the Parrett family.

The event will include bucket raffles, silent auctions, 50/50 raffles and door prizes. A cash bar also will be available.

Those interested in donating a gift basket for the raffle or property owners willing to grant search access may contact Jaimie by calling or texting 906-290-9511 or by emailing J-clairmont@hotmail.com.

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