Authorities say tips are the key to finding missing children

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — These are terrifying cases, and middle Tennessee has more than its share of missing children.

Today marks 21 years since the disappearance of Tabitha Tuders.

The 13-year-old vanished without a trace while walking to the school bus stop in Nashville.

Witnesses reported seeing a car pull up to her and then she was gone.

Metro police have followed hundreds of leads over the years, but found nothing.

The same could be said now for Sebastian Rogers. No trace of the boy.

The 15-year-old disappeared from his Hendersonville home more than two months ago.

Authorities now emphasize the importance of tips for solving such cases.

The key to finding a missing person often comes down to a simple tip from the public.

Detectives in the Sebastian Rogers case continue to chase leads; the most recent just this past week.

But those tips coming in have to be timely.

Sebastian; an autistic 15-year-old disappeared from his Hendersonville home on February 26th.

Despite a massive search effort, crews found nothing.

Could the teen be a crime victim?

"We have not cleared anyone, but we have no evidence to support foul play," Eric Craddock with the Sumner County Sheriff's Office said.

Still, authorities do not rule out the possibility Sebastian was taken from the area.

NewsChannel 5 has learned just this past week, Sumner County sheriff's detectives investigated a tip where a witness recently came forward to say he saw two vehicles stopped suspiciously on the shoulder the night Sebastian disappeared.

This was on a road several miles from Sebastian's home and the witness said it appeared two men were forcing something into the trunk of one of the cars.

Officers have investigated, and say they have found no connection to Sebastian's case.

They want people to continue calling in tips in a timely fashion for authorities to vet.

"Anytime the sheriff or TBI says we need to deploy, we are ready to go," Ken Weidner with Sumner County EMA said.

It's been two months since Sebastian went missing, but authorities will never stop working on the case.

Consider that detectives in Nashville say they still follow up on tips on Tabitha Tuders.

The thirteen-year-old disappeared more than two decades ago on her way to school.

"At least if you are getting tips it's a matter of getting that right tip that comes in," Matthew Filter with Metro Police said.

And that is likely what will break either of these cases.

Someone, somewhere knows something and needs to report it.

Authorities and the families of loved ones are counting on it.

Anyone with tips on Sebastian, Tabitha, or any other missing person can call 10800-TBI-FIND.