The family of Kent Jacobs, a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, has ended their seven year search for him.

Jacobs, a developmentally disabled man who would be turning 49 this month, was last seen on March 10, 2002. Family members said they will take steps to have him declared legally dead.

“It certainly wasn’t an easy decision to come to,” sister Jackie Jacobs told The Fayetteville Observer. “After seven years, we had to come to the realization that our efforts have been futile. This, by no means, means that we are forgetting him. As a family, we will privately search for what happened, but it is also time to move on.”

Police in North Carolina said they haven't received any new leads regarding in the case.

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Kent Jacobs' family ends public search (The Fayetteville Observer 3/10)