Halfway2sane

Seth Rogers, the father of a Tennessee teenager who has been missing for over two years says he has lost faith in the investigation into his son’s disappearance and is now taking his fight to federal court. He has filed two lawsuits against the Sumner County Sheriff’s office and the Tennessee Department of Children Services. He is alleging that both agencies have failed his son. The first time being before  February 2024 and the second one during the investigation that followed. The lawsuits represent the first formal public legal accounting of how government agencies handled both Sebatians welfare and his disappearance and could force the release of investigative records, internal communications and sworn testimony that has never been made public.

One lawsuit targets the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office, alleging investigators mishandled the missing person investigation from its earliest hours by failing to secure the home as a potential crime scene, pursue critical investigative leads and devote adequate resources to the case. He says the investigation was inadequate, negligent and ultimately abandoned. It also names Sumner County Sheriff Eric Craddock and Detective Brandon Carter, the alleged sole detective assigned to Sebastian’s missing person investigation. 

One of Seth’s strongest critiques centered on the initial response inside the home. He claimed he found an investigator sitting at the dining room table but said no one stopped him from walking free through the house. He said, “I walked in and nobody even asked me who I was.” He said the home did not appear to be secured like a crime scene. 

The complaint alleges the agency already possessed warning signs about Sebastian’s welfare, documented them in its own files, then closed those two without notifying his father. According to the complaint, the Department of Child Services first opened an investigation in September 2022 after Sebastian disclosed to a school professional that he had been sexually abused by another child while living in California. During that investigation, the lawsuit alleges Department of Child Services documented concerns involving Sebastian’s home environment before closing the case in November 2022 without taking protective action. Eight months later, Department of Child Services opened a second investigation after receiving allegations that Sebastian’s stepfather, Chris Proudfoot, had struck him in the stomach. The lawsuit claims Sebastian confirmed the incident to investigators and Chris allegeding admitted to hitting him. Despite that, the Department of Child Services closed the investigation three days later, determining no additional services were needed.

Approximately nine months later Sebastian disappeared

Seth said, “why wasn’t I informed? He could have come to live with me. I’d have taken him in a heartbeat. No parents should have to get an attorney to get records from a State agency to find out what was already recorded. That doesn’t make sense.

He slammed the Sheriff’s office for holding what he said was only one press conference and claimed Sebastian’s photograph was not displayed prominently enough during that appearance.

The complaint also alleges investigators did not adequately pursue a tip from a nurse at one of Sebastian’s doctor offices,  stating a nurse reported that Katie Proudfoot cancelled Sebatian’s upcoming mental health appointment just three days before he disappeared. The lawsuit says the nurse described the cancellation as unusual, noting Sebastian was always present for his appointments. Investigators never followed up on it. 

The lawsuit also claims the Sumner County Sheriff’s office has stopped communicating with Seth and there has been a communications blackout with him for the past eighteen months. He says, “it says a lot when they won’t speak with me. To me, it says that they know that they screwed the pooch.” Seth said they won’t speak with him since he sent them an email telling them about fifteen things they needed to check. And said, if you haven’t done it, then you haven’t done your job. His lawyer said it looks like an amateur investigation. It doesn’t take an expert in investigations to know what’s supposed to happen when you  have a missing fifteen year old autistic child. The investigation was dead on arrival.

Among the allegations, the lawsuit claims the Department of Child Services documented that Sebastian said he felt safe with his father. It also alleges the agency determined Sebastian qualified for the Federal Title IV-E Candidacy Program, a designation for children considered at serious or imminent risk of removal from their homes.

He says law enforcement failed to verify Chris Proudfoot’s alibi and failed to investigate why surveillance cameras at the home were not working. He says that should have been a significant cause of suspicion and point of thorough investigation since Katie Proudfoot installs and operates security cameras for a living.

Seth Rogers has lived with a single unanswered question:  What happened to his son? Now, 2 ½ years later he asks a second question: What happened to the investigation?

The lawsuits paint the broadest and most detailed public picture yet of why Seth believes the mystery surrounding his son’s disappearance is not simply about what happened on the night Sebastian vanished, but whether government agencies repeatedly missed opportunities both before and after that night. He was failed by both of them.  He said, “my son wasn’t protected. My son wasn’t found.”

Sebastian disappeared sometime during the night either on Feb. 25th or 26th, 2024 from his Stafford Court home in Hendersonville, where he lived with his mother and stepfather, Katie and Christopher Proudfoot. The investigators were immediately baffled by his disappearance. He left behind his shoes, cellphone, and nintendo switch. The only thing the family reported missing was a small flashlight.

Sebastian was 15 yrs old and had been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, severe combined type ADHD and 6027 Chromosome Deletion Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder associated with intellectual disabilities and developmental delays. Sebastian required extensive support services, attended behaviour therapy multiple times each week. 

Allegedly Katie Proudfoot drove around the neighborhood and to Sebastian’s School searching for him. Step-father Christopher, was reportedly three hours away in S.W. Tennessee for work and he called the local emergency communication center to report Sebastian missing. Katie said, “I don’t know why he walked out that door.”

But Seth Rogers said, “Sebastian simply wandering away never made sense. No matter how he looks at it, he just can not wrap his head around Sebastian just waking out of the house. No matter where he lived, he was never one to just walk out of the house.”

Seth recalled learning Sebastian was missing after finishing work on Feb. 26th, 2024. Employees were not allowed to have cell phones while working, he said he did not see a 911 text message until he reached his truck. He immediately called Sebastian’s step-father, who told him his son had disappeared.

Seth went to the home where Sebastian lived with his mother and step-father and the first place he went was Sebastian’s bedroom. He described several details that struck him as unusual, including Sebastian’s Nintendo Switch plugged into the wall on the floor, a messy closet and belongings scattered around the room. It just didn’t seem right. Sebastian was attached to his switch. To those that knew Sebastian, the lack of shoes was especially concerning; he didn’t like the way the grass felt underneath his feet. Seth said, “that’s not my son. For him to leave that house without his shoes, without a coat, without his backpack, he would have had to have been running. 

Within hours of Sebastian’s disappearance, authorities launched one of the largest missing child searches in Tennessee history. Hundreds of law enforcement officers joined the search. Helicopters circled overhead. Drones scanned wooded terrain. Mounted patrols searched fields and creeks. Specialized K-9 teams tracked possible scent trails. And thousands of volunteers poured in to help.

But despite everything, no one has been named a person of interest. No suspects have been publicly identified. And no arrests have been made. But Seth says, “How can you have seven different agencies and hundreds of people working on stuff and not find a speck of evidence?” He said all the attention has never produced what he wanted most and that is Sebastian. He said, “It’s like God gave me a purpose in life. And he still is, I just got to find him.”

He says he’s lost all faith. “You’re supposed to have good faith in your law enforcement agency. And I have no faith in them at all.”

Sebastian’s loved ones said that the fascination around his disappearance forced them to sue three youtubers who shared lurid theories about their son’s case. First, in August of 2024, Katie filed an order of protection against Andra Griffin, also known as Bullhorn Betty on YouTube and TikTok, alleging that her large social media following aided her in stalking her and her family.  She also alleged Griffin accused her and Chris of harming Sebastian and called the YouTuber dangerous. A grand jury ultimately decided not to indict Griffin, citing lack of evidence in the case.  Second, months later in October 2024 Sebastian’s father Seth, Dog the Bounty Hunter and seven others sued two others, Stephanie Trude and Jessica Send and filed injunctions against fifty unnamed people for harassment and endangering their safety. Seng runs the YouTube channel Granny’s Watching, while Trude is known online as BBQ Lady. A judge dismissed the case against them, stating there is a higher bar for them to reach in defamation cases as public figures.

Duane, Dog the Bounty Hunter Chapman revealed who he believes is responsible for the disappearance of Sebastian. He said, “I just can’t believe that the step-father would allegedly run people off. He claimed the stepfather was harassing volunteer searchers, discouraging the public from helping track down the missing teen and stating the cops are enough for the search. Dog is helping Sebastian’s dad, Seth and has raised the reward to one hundred thousand dollars, offering fifty thousand of his own money for information about the boy’s disappearance. Dog believes the boy was stashed somewhere due to an ongoing custody battle between the parents. He said, “we’re seeing a domestic squabble over a child.” This is one of the most horrendous cases of missing children that we’ve ever worked on. The bottom line is if you hurt a child like this, you’ve got a problem, so that is the main motivation for me to be hunting who did this.

Seth says he has put more than 100,000 miles on his truck while following tips across multiple states. The only time he stopped searching was when he had a herniated disc repaired. He said he felt like the responsibility was on him as he didn’t believe anyone else was doing it. It’s nothing but gas and mileage on my vehicle. Finding my sons worth more than that. It’s my job and my duty as a father, as a parent, to go down every rabbit hole I can to find my son. Because at the bottom of one of those will be Sebastian. 

He said, “People say I’m strong. I’m just determined to find my son. The weight of the world that I feel on my shoulders every day. Unless you’ve been in the situation of your child missing and not knowing where he’s at, you don’t have any clue.”  He said Sebastian gave his life purpose.  “He’s my saving grace. Before him, I was probably heading down the wrong path in life. Then I had a child. It was like God gave me a purpose in life.”

He said, “I don’t get to take my son hunting or fishing. I don’t get to play video games with him. I don’t get to play cards. I don’t get to watch movies. I’ve got a lot of memories of my son, but I’m not done making memories and that’s the point. I think about Sebastian every single day, and it’s gone on for way too long.”

He directed a message to his son: “If you’re seeing this Sebastian, my phone number is still the same, call me. I will come and pick you up. I don’t care where you’re at, if I got to get a boat, I’ll come pick you up, son. I’m looking for you and I won’t stop until I find you. I love you boy and I will always love you.”

Seth also says about Sebastian, “ What did I do for him not to tell me that he was scared? I’m supposed to protect him.”

Seth Rogers is seeking ten million dollars in damages and he wants the case to be reopened with a new active investigation into Sebastian’s disappearance.

If you have any information concerning the whereabouts of Sebastian Rogers, please contact the Sumner County Sheriff’s office at 615-451-3838 or the Tennessee Bureaus of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.