A memorial was held over the weekend for David Riemens after his body was found in a wooded area in Wilson County. He had been missing for six years.
Riemens was known for his stone masonry and art, which was displayed at the memorial.
Friends also invited a band, and they ate food together. People came from all over the country to pay their respects.
"David was a hippie in that love was in his heart," Donald Nuessle said. "I think that's what really motived his interactions with people."
Riemens lived in a tree house on Nuessle's farm for 12 years.
"I miss shooting pool," Nuessle said. "I miss being able to rack up a game of 9 ball with him... and we'd just drop what we were doing and play four games of pool."
He choked up as he remembered his friend.
"You live with all your memories… but I can see him in the room," Nuessle said.
In August 2012, Riemens went missing. His truck was found at the Dollar General store in Watertown.
That morning he told Nuessle he was supposed to meet with a client who wanted stone work done, and then he would head to visit family in Michigan.
"He waved the sketch pad and said, 'Whatever you do, don't forget your paperwork!' His bag of clothes to go to Michigan was packed," Nuessle said.
Riemens never returned. In January 2018, his body was found in a wooded area in Wilson County.
"There's not a belief in my body that he was innocently there of his own volition," Nuessle said.
While how Riemens died has remained a mystery, his friends found comfort in being together on Sunday.
"We're just scratching the surface of the people that he's touched," Nuessle said.
David's family and friends are putting together reward money in case anyone has information on what happened. Officials with the Wilson County Sheriff's Office said there are no updates on the case, according to their spokesperson.
