DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Detroit mother is pleading for her son's safe return. Stefon Hodo, a retired Detroit police officer, went missing two weeks ago.
Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,500 reward for information that helps lead to the 41-year-old's whereabouts.
Karen Hodo told 7 Action News she'd speak with her son several times a week either by text, call or he'd stop by and check on her. She said it's not like him to disappear like this.
"I'm just hoping to find him alive and well," Karen Hodo said. "Oh, I'm just hoping and praying that he's OK."
Hodo described Stefon as "so supportive. He had such a good heart."
For loved ones, the anguish of not knowing is intensified by the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
Two weeks ago, Detroit police arrested a man for firing an assault rifle into a home on Detroit's west side on Ferguson Street. Investigators said there were five adults and three kids inside.
The gunman shot up the house twice in the same day. Both times were caught on camera. Investigators said the gunman was Stefon Hodo's neighbor, and the weapon he used to shoot up the house belonged to Hodo. They say the suspect stole Hodo's guns and vehicle.
Another neighbor told 7 Action News the two men at one point had gotten into some kind of dispute and were not friends.
Earlier Tuesday, Karen Hodo was joined by loved ones and supporters at the Crime Stoppers press conference, including Detroit Police Department Capt. Sonia Russell with the missing persons homicide unit.
"We need to double down our efforts. We need to bring Hodo home to his family," Russell said, asking the public to submit any tips.
Karen Hodo expressed, "I'd just like (the public) to share any type of information."
Detroit police is asking anyone who saw Stefon Hodo's black 2007 Lexus being driven before June 30 or have any other information to give them a call 313-267-4600. The plate number is 9NGT98.
You can also call Crime Stoppers and remain anonymous at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
