12 August 2026
ATTALLA, AL – The Attalla Police Department has released new surveillance photos of Nathaniel Lucas Jackson, and investigators say cameras followed his path across part of the city on the evening he disappeared.
Jackson, 40, has been missing since July 29. Police classify him as a missing and endangered person. The case remains active.
The short version: Attalla police say surveillance cameras recorded Jackson between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on July 29, the day he went missing. He was first seen near a gas station around Highway 77 and Highway 11. Cameras later showed him near the Cracker Barrel and Ruby Tuesday parking lot area on Highway 77 close to Interstate 59. Anyone with information should call Attalla Police Department dispatch at 256-538-7837.
What do the new surveillance photos show?
The department said it was able to track Jackson on camera as he moved from the gas station area toward the restaurant parking lots near the interstate. Police said the footage covers roughly one hour, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and that all of it was recorded on the day he went missing.
The images show a man in a ball cap, a short sleeve collared shirt and shorts. In one frame he is walking past gas pumps. In another he is crossing open pavement near a Chevron sign.
The timing is the important part. Police originally said Jackson was last seen around 2 p.m. on July 29 in the area of 6th Street Southwest. The surveillance footage places him more than four hours later than that, in a different part of town, and moving toward a major highway interchange.
Who is Nathaniel Lucas Jackson?
Jackson is 40 years old. Police describe him as 5 feet 9 inches tall and about 170 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. When he went missing, police said he was wearing a tan striped polo shirt, gray shorts, Nike flip-flops and a ball cap.
The department has not said whether that clothing description has been updated since the surveillance images were released.
Why do police call Jackson endangered?
According to the Attalla Police Department, Jackson has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and has the cognitive functioning of a child. Police said those circumstances are why his disappearance is being treated as a matter of significant concern rather than a routine missing person report.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency also issued a missing person alert in the case, which pushes his description out to agencies across the state.
What are police asking the public to do?
Investigators want to hear from anyone who was in either of those two areas on the evening of July 29. That includes people who saw Jackson, spoke with him, or gave him a ride. It also includes people who may have seen him and not realized at the time who he was.
Police are also asking nearby businesses and homeowners to check their own security cameras for footage from that window. A doorbell camera, a dash camera or a parking lot recording could show which way he went after 7:30 p.m.
Small details help more than people expect. A time stamp, a direction of travel, or the make and color of a vehicle can narrow a search that has now run two weeks.
What is still unknown
Police have not said whether Jackson left the area on foot or in a vehicle. They have not released any sighting after the 7:30 p.m. mark on July 29. They also have not said whether footage has been recovered from the businesses in the Cracker Barrel and Ruby Tuesday area, or whether an organized ground search of the Highway 77 corridor is underway.
GadsdenThrive is seeking those details from the Attalla Police Department and will update this report.
What GadsdenThrive has reported so far
GadsdenThrive first covered the case when Attalla police asked the public for help finding Jackson. We followed with a report as the search continued without a confirmed sighting. This story adds the surveillance timeline the department released this week.
Frequently asked questions
When was Nathaniel Lucas Jackson last seen?
Police say he was last seen in person around 2 p.m. on July 29 in the area of 6th Street Southwest in Attalla. Surveillance cameras later recorded him between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. that same day.
Where was he tracked on surveillance video?
Police say cameras picked him up near a gas station around Highway 77 and Highway 11, and later near the Cracker Barrel and Ruby Tuesday parking lot area on Highway 77 near Interstate 59.
What does missing and endangered mean?
It is a classification police use when a missing person may be at higher risk because of a medical condition, a disability or another circumstance. In this case, police cited Jackson’s diagnosed condition and cognitive functioning.
Who do I call if I have information?
Call Attalla Police Department dispatch at 256-538-7837. If the situation is an emergency, call 911.
How to help
Police are asking the public to keep sharing Jackson’s photo and description while the search stays active. Anyone with information, footage or even a partial memory of seeing him that evening is asked to call dispatch at 256-538-7837.
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