The mother of a missing U.S. Marine says her instinct tells her that he's OK.
Adam Sharp is seen in a photograph supplied by his family in an effort to locate him. HIGHLAND PARK -- She can't explain it, but Trudy Sharp knows her son is alive, out there somewhere, surviving.
For more than a month, 23-year-old Adam Sharp -- a retired U.S. Marine and Afghanistan War veteran who once lived in Edison -- has been missing. Last seen in late December, Adam vanished without his wallet or clothes or any supplies, his family said in a previous report. His cellphone has also been shut off.
And since his disappearance, his mother, Trudy Sharp, a Highland Park resident, has awakened each morning from her bed wondering where Adam is, and when she might see him again.
"You wake up, and your thoughts are 24 hours on the situation," she said. "And you fit everything else in between."
But the only relief in the world that has been turned upside down is her confidence in her son's ability to survive.
"Everyday, I have so much faith in Adam's ability to survive (and) I think that helps me get through each day. He is very strong," she said.
She said the family wouldn't rest until Adam is found.
"Right now, we are checking the trails," she said.
Her "gut instinct" tells her that he is walking to North Carolina where Adam had moved.
She has a booklet of hundreds of veteran's organizations she continues to call, hoping for a tip or time Adam potentially taking refuge at one of the places for veterans.
She doesn't know why Adam left, saying "It could have been anything."
But like so others returning home from the battlefield, she suspects post-traumatic stress may have been at play.
"They become out of touch for a moment," she said.
When he returned from service a year ago, he appeared to be fine, Trudy said. He even had a list of goals he planned to pursue, like graduating college. He was very interested in organic farming.
She said society has become much more aware of the high rate of suicide among veterans and the post-traumatic stress they face upon returning from duty.
But she said less known is how many of these returning veterans just get up and vanish like Adam, nowhere to be found.
"This has opened my eyes to how many young men, all ages, that just disappear," she said. "Some of them right out of the military; they don't know where to go, (and) part of that is the system."
Adam, like many veterans, she said, had a difficult time getting an appointment with a doctor at Veterans Affairs.
"He finally got an appointment, but this system; it (took) months to get an appointment," she said.
During that interlude, she wonders if issues in him were exasperated.
Police officers have been searching far and wide for Adam, and last month it was thought that he was spotted in Woodbridge. Police received a tip that Adam may have been seen in the Fords section of the township, previous reports said.
Adam, however, could not be found.
She nevertheless expressed immense gratitude for all the work put in by officers from the Highland Police Department.
She specifically cited Det. Sean McGraw, of the Highland police force, saying he "has gone above and beyond the call of duty.
"He really has. He's put time in when he's had other cases that he had to work on. He cares a lot (and) shows a lot of compassion
Adam was last seen wearing a winter jacket, dark pajama pants, a winter hat and a long-sleeve green shirt, previous reports said.
Anyone with information on Adam Sharp can reach the Highland Police Department, which is leading the investigation, at (732) 572-3800.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.