By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
A missing 11-year-old boy may have been spotted in a convenience store surveillance video Monday, offering hope for his family.
James Timothy Greene, who also goes by the nickname Tim Tim and his middle name, Timothy, was last seen by his family at his Holmes Street residence Friday morning.
The surveillance video appears to show the boy entering the Kangaroo Express on Statesville Boulevard in Salisbury.
“It’s hopeful,” said Timothy’s adoptive father, James Greene.
James Greene and his wife, Crystal, along with many of their relatives have distributed fliers throughout Salisbury.
“I felt like today was the day to pass out fliers,” Crystal Greene said Monday.
The family printed fliers with Timothy’s picture on them and a general description of the boy. He is black, has brown eyes and is 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 76 pounds. He has a mohawk haircut.
He’s believed to be wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants or blue jeans and blue and white Nike sneakers.
The boy’s adoptive parents contacted area TV stations over the weekend to report him missing. Salisbury Police also sent a press release to the Salisbury Post Sunday evening.
Police have searched for the boy every day, looking in locations suggested by the family, a police sergeant said Sunday.
An Amber Alert has not been posted because so far police do not suspect that the boy has been abducted.
The couple adopted Timothy in 2009 and held an official adoption ceremony in October 2009. He was living with the couple long before he was adopted. The Greenes became licensed foster parents in 2009, something they had been working on since 2008.
Timothy’s biological mother was a client of Crystal Greene’s, who is a hairstylist, as were some of Timothy’s other biological relatives.
“He came to live with us in June 2008. He had just turned 9,” Crystal Greene said.
Timothy’s biological mother died in 2009, but the Greenes said the child was coping well. The mother’s life had been troubled.
The Greenes describe Timothy as a quiet, laid-back child, who loves to play basketball.
The child also gets along with other children, the couple said.
“He could be a follower,” Crystal Greene said.
He attends Overton Elementary.
Crystal Greene left the family’s home on Friday morning, while older son Lamyron, 14, and Timothy were both asleep. When James Greene left the house that morning, he locked the door while the children were still asleep.
About 9 a.m., Timothy answered the home telephone and spoke with one of Crystal Greene’s friends. It was something the couple do not allow the children to do when they weren’t home.
The children were never allowed to go outside either, only playing outdoors when the family was in the yard or watching closely from a kitchen window.
“They don’t roam the neighborhood,” Crystal Greene said.
Lamyron told his mother he hadn’t heard Timothy stirring in the house. The boy’s rooms are in different areas of the home. Lamyron looked into his younger brother’s room about 10:15 a.m. and didn’t see him.
When Crystal Greene’s friend arrived at the house to get her hair done around 10:25 a.m., Timothy was not around.
While the surveillance video from Monday offers hope, it is not a clear image, James Greene said.
Crystal Greene said the boy in the video has Timothy’s mannerisms, but when a still image was pulled from the video she wasn’t entirely convinced it was Timothy.
James Greene said other family and even one of Timothy’s teachers saw the video and said it was the child, but “it’s not definitive,” he said.
James Greene coaches boy’s basketball at Southeast Middle School and said the family is thankful to those from the school and those in the community who have supported the family through prayers and concern.
The story has been spreading on the Internet with family members creating a group page on Facebook — called Missing James Timothy Greene — and people are providing links and comments about the search on Twitter.
Police ask that anyone with information about Timothy call 911.
Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.