January disappearance of North Carolina veteran Clinton Bonnell alarms loved ones

NBC News

12-02-2025

'My brother is a Green Beret and perfectly capable of taking care of himself,' Stefani Firkins told Dateline. 'There's very suspicious circumstances surrounding his disappearance.'
Stephanie's brother, Clinton Bonnell, has been missing for nearly a month. The 50-year-old was last seen on January 27, 2025, in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
'I think there's somebody out there that potentially knows something,' Stefanie said.
The siblings are originally from Texas. 'We grew up in the Austin area, specifically a small town called Dripping Springs,' Stefanie said.
Clint had once worked for Motorola but eventually made his way to the Army. 'After 9/11, he joined the military,' Stefanie said. Not only was he a Green Beret, 'he was also the spokesperson for the Gold Star Families.'
The last place Clint had been stationed was Fort Bragg in Fayetteville. He retired in December 2024. 'He was happy. He was excited,' Stefanie said of her brother's plans for life after the Army. 'He was a Green Beret medic so he wanted to pursue medicine. He worked really hard to get into this PA school program at Methodist College in Fayetteville.' Stefanie says not only did Clint get in to the school, he quickly became the president of his cohort. 'He was completely enamored with medicine and excited about his career path,' she said.
Stefanie says she last spoke to her brother when he came to Texas in December for a visit. 'He was in good spirits. He seemed great. He seemed good,' she recalled.
On January 29, less than a month into the new year, something happened that immediately caused alarm. 'I got a Facebook message from his wife asking if I had spoken to my brother and then telling me that he had not shown up for class two days in a row and that the sheriff had been out to her house four times,' Stefanie recalled.
Stefanie says she learned that Clint's school had called the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office and asked them to conduct a welfare check on him. 'They were taking exams and labs and it was so out of character for Clint to not be in class,' she said. According to Stefanie, it's out of character for her brother to be a no-show for anything. 'He was in the military for 20 years. He would've been kicked out of the military for just disappearing, she said.'
On January 30, the Cumberland County Sheriff posted about Clint's disappearance, asking for the public's help in finding him.
On February 7, the post was updated with additional details. It now says Clint was last seen in the Gray's Creek area on the evening of Monday, January 27, 2025, and he was last seen wearing a plaid button-up shirt, a black hoodie, and brown pants.
Dateline reached out to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office for the latest updates in the case but has yet to receive a response. 'My understanding is that they have done searches of the property,' Stefanie said.
Although she lives in Texas, Stefanie says she's doing everything she can to help find her brother. 'He would not walk away from his life and his school and his daughter,' she said.
If Clint is out there, Stefanie wants him to know everyone is looking for him. 'We are praying every day for his safety,' she said. 'We will not stop looking for him or looking for answers.'
Clint is 6' and 195 lbs. He has brown hair and eyes. He was last seen wearing a plaid button-up shirt, a black hoodie, and brown pants.