For two years a Carson City family thought the worst about their missing son and father, especially after a man allegedly bragged about killing him. But their anguish ended two weeks ago when he was discovered alive, and fresh out of rehab in Reno.
According to Carson City Sheriff's Lt. Bob White, John Wayne Bragg's name was taken off a national crime data base after he was contacted by Reno police in September.
Sue Bragg said Friday her son was located living and working in Reno.
The day the family learned he was OK, Sue Bragg, her husband and Bragg's four children, ages 13, 12, 9 and 4, met with him in Reno.
The children had no idea at the time they were going to see their father.
His 13-year-old daughter was the first to lay eyes on him.
"When she saw him, she just started crying. We all did," Sue said.
Bragg, 31, was last seen walking north on Graves Lane on the afternoon of Sept. 23, 2004.
For 24 months his mother searched for him, posting his photograph and information on the Internet in the hopes that someone had seen him. As time passed, she said, she became less hopeful that her son would be found alive.
Bragg's disappearance got media attention in March, when Robert Nadon, under investigation for the theft of guns from his father-in-law's home, allegedly told friends he killed Bragg. Nadon is married to Bragg's ex-wife.
According to an arrest report booking Nadon on the gun theft charges, Carson City Sheriff's Detective Bob Motamenpour wrote that Nadon allegedly told a friend he saw Bragg walking through Washoe Valley, "got lucky and took care of" him.
Nadon is currently serving 10 years in prison on drug charges unrelated to the gun theft.
Sue Bragg said her son had no idea his family was looking for him and feared him dead. She said he explained to her he went to Reno one day and got mixed up with a bad crowd.
Eventually, she said, he entered a 13-month drug rehab which he successfully completed. He could not be reached for comment Friday.
"But when he got out it had been so long, he was just too embarrassed to call anyone," she said.
Sue Bragg said she forgives her son for his poor judgment, but she'll never forget those months of uncertainty.
"This has been a terrible tragedy for us. What he did wasn't right, but sometimes people have to go away so they can get themselves straightened out," she said through tears. "I'm just so glad that it didn't turn out the other way. Our story is one of the fortunate ones. What I would like people to know is that no matter what, you can always have hope."
• Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.