PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Ernestine Sawyer said her grandson, Derrick Fluellen, would regularly call her and talk about his work at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal.
Last Saturday was no different.
"He called and tell me 'grandma, grandma, I’m at work'," Sawyer said. "I said 'What time you get off? Call me on your lunch break'."
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When it came time for his break, Sawyer says he never called back.
It would be later that Sawyer and Fluellen's friends and family learned about his disappearance off of a boat he was working on in the terminal.
On Wednesday, Fluellen's loved ones gathered in front of the terminal to remember and make a public plea for answers.
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"I just want to hug my child for the last time," said his mother, Earlisa Fluellen. "I just want to put my child to rest."
Since Saturday, there have been no additional signs of Fluellen. The Coast Guard suspended its search for now and Port Authority officials—who are now the lead agency in this investigation—said there are no new updates.
"It's just all confusing how nobody knows nothing," said one of Derrick's cousins. "We just want justice for Derrick and we want him to be brought home."
Port Authority officials told News 3's Jay Greene the search and investigation are still active on their part, but Fluellen's family isn't resting until they find out what happened.
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"My aunt wants peace," said Arlisha Simmons, another cousin to Derrick. "Today is her birthday, she's here grieving, which if her grandson was here, we'd probably be out having dinner."
"It's crazy how somebody that's right there in that picture, standing next to you, could not be in the same picture next time," a family member told Greene. "Like we got Thanksgiving coming up this year...he not gonna be in that picture. It's just crazy how someone can be taken out of the picture that fast."
While a lack of information and evidence is making the search for Derrick tough, his family hopes someone who knows what happened will come forward.
"Derrick, we love you," Simmons said. "We don't gotta tell you that, you already know that. We your family."
