Family: Tech Student Got on Moving Train

ATLANTA - The family of a once-missing Georgia Tech student acknowledged Wednesday that he got onboard a moving freight train during the time of his disappearance.

Atlanta Police have released few details about their investigation into the more than 48 hours that James "Jimmy" Hubert went missing earlier this month. 

Hubert had last been seen at a fraternity social event at The Foundry at Puritan Mill on Friday, October 16.  Friends found him found him badly injured near railroad tracks off DeKalb Avenue three days later.

"He seemed sad while he was there and then left by himself," an initial police report states. It went on to describe that witnesses believed "he was probably drunk when he left the event and possibly using recreational drugs."

"We don't have the full story yet about Jimmy's activities and whereabouts during the 55 hours that he was missing. It appears that he somehow got aboard a moving freight train. How he did this is unclear. What happened between his time on the train and the time he was found remains a mystery," Hubert's father, Jim Hubert, said in the statement.

Initially, family and friends said Hubert told them he had been beaten and robbed after getting off a MARTA train. Officials with the transit service denied that claim last week saying Hubert was not on the MARTA system during the time in question.

Hubert's mother, Diane, publicly shared updates about her son's condition on Facebook, including that he had four broken vertebrae, broken ribs and bleeding on the brain.  She has since made her Facebook posts private.

"Did he do something reckless? It appears that he did," reads Jim Hubert's statement.  "Was there a robbery? Police are still investigating that. To our family, the story hasn’t changed: Jimmy is alive today because of a great group of friends who were committed to finding him. We will forever be grateful for that."

The full statement reads: 

"We don't have the full story yet about Jimmy's activities and whereabouts during the 55 hours that he was missing. It appears that he somehow got aboard a moving freight train. How he did this is unclear. What happened between his time on the train and the time he was found remains a mystery.

"Did he do something reckless? It appears that he did. Was there a robbery? Police are still investigating that. To our family, the story hasn’t changed: Jimmy is alive today because of a great group of friends who were committed to finding him. We will forever be grateful for that.

"Our priority is to focus on Jimmy's health, and he gets stronger every day. He is also remembering more each day, and we are fully cooperating with the on-going police investigation."