Authorities are conducting a large-scale search on property on County Road 418 near Kirbyville for missing hunter Joshua Larkin’s remains.
KIRBYVILLE, Texas — A large-scale search operation is underway Saturday morning on County Road 418 outside of Kirbyville as authorities execute a search warrant on property they believe may contain the remains of Joshua Larkin, a Kirbyville man who vanished during a hunting trip in November 2022.
The joint operation between the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, Newton County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Equusearch comes after investigators recently obtained additional information regarding the property, which remains the focus of the investigation, according to a Facebook post from Jasper County Sheriff Chuck Havard.
As of 5:30 p.m. Sheriff Chuck Harvard says they have found items that could relate to the case and expect to be out at the property for at least another hour.
Larkin, 38 at the time of his disappearance, was last seen on Nov. 17, 2022, leaving his home to go hunting near the Exotic Cat Refuge on Private Road 7025 in Kirbyville, according to Texas Equusearch.
The case shifted from a missing-person investigation to a homicide investigation resulting in four arrests last year. Justin Taylor James, 36, and Johnathan “Cody” Bierhalter, 37, have been charged with murder. James “Alex” Jones and Rodney Allen Blankenship face charges of tampering with or fabricating evidence, according to probable cause affidavits filed in Newton County.
Court documents describe allegations that Larkin was shot in the woods near the cat refuge and that his body was later moved. Bloodhounds tracked Larkin’s scent from the back of the property to a county road before losing the trail, according to investigators.
The collaboration with Texas Equusearch follows a meeting in early January between the organization’s founder, Tim Miller, and Sheriff Havard at the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office to coordinate search efforts.
“Every single time I have reached out to his organization, he generally has boots on the ground in Jasper County within three hours,” Havard said in a Facebook post at the time. “Our partnership is stronger than ever and we are committed to working with Tim and his staff to bring EVERY resource we can to the citizens of Jasper County to bring closure to families and justice to violators.”
Affidavits reviewed by 12News indicate James told investigators he was forced at gunpoint to shoot Larkin after Bierhalter held a pistol to his head. The affidavit notes Bierhalter made an unsubstantiated claim that he believed Larkin was molesting his daughter, an allegation Larkin denied at the time. Investigators say multiple witnesses claimed Bierhalter made it clear he wanted Larkin dead.
Jasper County assumed control of the investigation in 2025. Havard confirmed extensive searches have yielded no results prior to Saturday’s operation.
“The search has yielded no positive results. We are searching for anything to further our investigation, whether it be a murder weapon, human remains, anything,” Havard said.
Despite the lack of physical evidence, authorities remain committed to the search.
“We’re still going to work very, very diligently to locate Josh,” Havard said. “We’re not going to stop… we’re going to stay committed to try to get Josh home to his momma.”
Larkin’s mother, Beverly Larkin, said the family continues to hope for answers.
“I’ll never have closure, but I need the answers,” she said.
Officials say they are hopeful the added resources and expertise from Texas Equusearch will help bring answers to Larkin’s family and move the case closer to resolution.
Anyone with information related to Joshua Larkin’s disappearance is asked to contact the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office at (409) 384-2555.