CLERMONT, Fla. – Deputies are looking for a Clermont man who was wasn't reported missing until recently even though he hasn't been seen since 2015, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities said a friend of 35-year-old Michael Shaver recently contacted them and said that he and Shaver's family had not seen or heard from Shaver in years.
A well-being check was requested. When deputies went to Shaver's home, his wife said she hadn't seen him since 2015, according to a news release.
Shaver's wife permitted deputies to look inside the residence but as deputies moved outside she stopped cooperating and requested an attorney, deputies said.
"I have no comment and you can reach out to my attorney," she said Wednesday as she drove off without specifying the identity of her lawyer.
Curt Ruhl lives across the street from Shaver's home.
"I'd see him out working in the yard..." he said. "Then all of a sudden he was gone, and some other guy moved in."
Ruhl, along with other neighbors, said they want to know where Shaver is.
"I'd like to know what happened to him, of course," he said. "Your mind always goes to the furthest thing."
Records show that Shaver was arrested on a domestic violence charge in 2014 after an incident involving his wife. The two were arguing about a home repair project and the altercation turned physical, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
The wife told deputies that Shaver grabbed her by her arm and pushed her into a wall, leaving her with bruises on both biceps, the report said.
During the fight, either Shaver or his wife grabbed a gun and the two struggled over it, according to authorities. Deputies said Shaver had a laceration on the top of his head from where his wife hit him with the firearm.
That gun and another firearm were confiscated from the home.
Deputies said two young children witnessed the fight.
The domestic violence charge was eventually dropped, records show.
Shaver's older sister Stacie Shaver said her family wants answers.
"He is a wonderful caring man who would give the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it," she said. "His two children were his absolute world. He loved his family and we love him so very, very much. We miss him terribly. We are looking for answers."
Anyone with information concerning Shaver's whereabouts is asked to call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.