Ride share driver who agreed to 400-mile job goes missing

A Lyft driver who was scheduled to drive a passenger for 400 miles has mysteriously disappeared.

Leonard John Beiner, 57, who worked part-time for the ride share company, was in the Ball Ground area of Cherokee County, Georgia, when he agreed to drive a customer to Jacksonville, Florida.

Beiner’s family have not heard from him since he accepted the job on July 18.

It was not clear if he picked up the passenger. Beiner had no other scheduled rides on the day that he agreed to the one crossing the state line.

‘The first few days, I tried calling him,’ his son, Jhaydon Ragsdale, told WSBTV.com. ‘The phone rang and a few days after that it went straight to the operator line.’

Ragsdale is not aware of anyone who potentially intended to go after his dad.

‘He doesn’t have any money. Why would anyone want to kill him?’ he said.

Beiner was last seen three days after the ride when he checked into Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta but left he next day, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.

His family did not file a missing persons report until Monday, because he is a recovering drug addict had isolated himself at times in the past, Ragsdale explained.

‘It’s not abnormal for him to avoid contact with people while he’s relapsing,’ the son said.

‘What became a concern is the week after when his phone went to the operator line and he was no longer on social media.’

The drive from Ball Ground to Jacksonville is about six-and-a-half hours long.

Lyft said there was no evidence that Beiner made an out-of-state drop-off, but that it is cooperating in a law enforcement investigation.

‘Our thoughts are with Mr Beiner’s family and loved ones during this difficult time, and we’ve been in contact with law enforcement to assist them with their investigation,’ stated Lyft, according to 11 Alive News.

Beiner is described as 5-foot-7-inches tall, 225 pounds and with gray hair and blue eyes. He uses a cane and was driving a blue Hyundai Sante Fe with a license plate from Florida.

Anyone with information on Beiner’s whereabouts is urged to contact the sheriff’s office.

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