The mother of a Portal man who has been missing for more than a week is pleading for information on his whereabouts.

Travis Eric Smith, also known as Eric Waters, of Bowen Road near Portal, was last seen Dec. 21, and his mother, Frankie Waters, fears the worst.

“He has never stayed away from home without always letting me know where he was and that he was OK,” she said, sobbing as she shared details of the last seven harrowing days.

She has spoken to Bulloch County sheriff’s investigators, who are conducting interviews with possible witnesses who interacted with Smith/Waters just before he went missing.

“The Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office is interested in getting in contact with” Smith/Waters, said Bulloch County sheriff’s Capt. Todd Hutchens. “If you have any information, please contact Investigator William Sims with the Bulloch County Criminal Investigations Division” at (912) 764-8888.

Frankie Waters said her son was possibly last seen in the area of Westside Road and Portal-Metter Highway. Friends told her that he had possibly been assisting someone with a mechanical breakdown.

Smith (Eric Waters) is 35, stands 5’11”, weighs around 160 pounds and is of medium build. He has red curly hair and green eyes and was last seen wearing jeans and hoodie, according to fliers distributed by friends of the family and posted on social media.

He has several tattoos on his arms. On one side of his neck is a tattoo reading “laugh now” and, on the other side, “cry later.” He also has a turquoise tattoo on his neck.

“Please, somebody tell me where my son is,” Frankie Waters said.

Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.