What happened to Orlando King?

TORREON, N.M. —

The family of Orlando King has spent more than three years searching for answers since he went missing on Christmas Day 2022.

King’s sisters shared his story during AdvocacyCon, a true-crime conference held at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Families from across the country attended the event to advocate for missing and murdered loved ones, connect with others and find support.

Georgianna Castillo said she attended the conference to keep her brother’s name and the case in the public eye.

“We’ve been searching for him,” Castillo said. “We want to know what happened.”

King, known to his family as “Shorty,” was last seen leaving a store in Torreon, a Navajo Nation community between Crownpoint and Cuba, New Mexico. He was reportedly seen later at a nearby home.

King was 42 when he disappeared. He is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighed about 170 pounds at the time.

His sisters describe him as a caring, outgoing person who enjoyed basketball, fishing and working on vehicles. They said he often encouraged relatives, listened to their problems and found ways to lift their spirits.

“He was very kind. He was always happy and humorous,” Castillo said. “If anybody was having a bad day, he was one of those people who would come in and make it happy and joyful.”

She said King loved his children, nieces and nephews. His hugs are among the things his family misses the most.

Janice Castillo said her brother also helped keep the family close by organizing activities and encouraging relatives to spend time together.

“He was always there to listen to your problems,” she said. “He was always there to comfort you when you needed it. He was a really kind person. We miss him.”

The uncertainty surrounding King’s disappearance has weighed heavily on his large, close-knit family, particularly his mother.

“We just hope that he comes home because it’s really hard on my parents, especially my mom,” Janice Castillo said. “She misses him so much.”

She said the family feels unable to move forward without knowing what happened, but relatives remain committed to searching and advocating for him.

“We’re not giving up,” she said. “We’re going to continue to move forward to get more information for my brother.”

Georgianna Castillo said meeting other families at AdvocacyCon reminded her that her family is not alone.

“There are a lot of other missing people, missing women and relatives,” she said. “We all come together, and that makes us not give up hope. We’re all supporting each other, and that’s a really big thing.”

King’s family is asking anyone with information to come forward, even if the detail appears insignificant.

“If anybody knows something, even little details about where he went or what happened to him, I really want that to be brought to our family,” Janice said.

King has a medical condition that requires critical care. Anyone with information about his disappearance is urged to call Navajo Nation police at 505-786-2050