7 years after Katy man's disappearance, his family searches for answers on his murder

Family searching for answers 7 years after Katy man's disappearance

FOX 26 Reporter Damali Keith has more after one family is searching for answers seven years after Katy man's disappearance.

KATY, Texas - The family of a murdered 20-year-old from Katy is asking for your help to bring his killer to justice.

Kyle Rugg went fishing up at Lake Livingston with friends and never returned home. Friday marks seven years since his disappearance and his family is still waiting for answers.

Kyle Thomas Rugg: Remains found in Polk Co. in 2020 identified as missing Katy man

"You just never stop grieving. You’re just grieving for seven years," says Kyle’s mom Judy Rugg. "So it’s been really hard for all of us."

Life as Kyle's parents and four siblings knew it, stopped, when the 20-year-old disappeared March 4, 2015.

"It’s a struggle," says his dad Les Rugg and Kyle’s mom finishes, "We hold on to each other. All of us."

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Family suspects foul play in disappearance of 20-year-old son

Kyle's remains were found accidentally two years ago in January 2020, when Polk County sheriff's deputies were in a wooded area searching for stolen property. "We did find that Kyle had been murdered," Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons says.

"We’ve said for years we want to bring Kyle home. Now we want to bring him peace," adds Mrs. Rugg. For this hurting family that means Kyle’s killer has to be caught.

The Rugg family even made that plea here on the FOX 26 segment The Missing in January 2022.

Now investigators have committed to doing everything possible to crack this cold case.

"If there’s anyone that’s out there that may know the littlest bit of information, please reach out to us. Help us bring peace to this family and justice for Kyle." says Sheriff Lyons.

Kyle Thomas Rugg: Authorities, family ask for information in Katy man's death

Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons and the family of Kyle Thomas Rugg, who went missing in 2015 at the age of 20, ask for anyone with information in his death to come forward.

The 20-year-old was on Lake Livingston in Polk County the day he vanished. He was fishing with friends, who his mom doesn't believe would have hurt him. "I would hate to think that. Like I say, he saw them as his family. He called them brothers."

Mrs. Rugg is pleading with anyone who may be withholding information, "you know who you are. You know he loved you, and you know it’s time to step up for him."

Polk County is now the lead on this once Harris County case.

"What we are doing is reviewing the files, bringing all those individuals back in and then from that point we will start to establish whether or not we have a suspect," Sheriff Lyons says.

"I just shared with the family there’s one thing worse than having a murdered child and that is what y’all have been going through these seven years, not knowing," said Texas EquuSearch found Tim Miller. He knows their situation firsthand. Miller's daughter Laura was murdered. He has offered support to the Rugg family for years as they try to find who killed their son and why.

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"Kyle was just full of life, and we will miss his smile forever" says Mrs. Rugg. "Someone knows what happened. Someone knows the truth. We need you to step up and come forward."

Texas Rangers are also assisting with the investigation. There is a $25,000 reward if you have information about who killed Kyle Rugg, that includes $5,000 donated by Texas EquuSearch.