Update, 9:08 p.m.: Hundreds of Tom Sponseller's family, friends and colleagues gathered at the South Carolina State House Wednesday for a candlelight vigil -- praying for his safe return.
Sponseller, president and chief executive officer of the S.C. Hospitality Association, has been missing since Saturday.
"It's been four-and-a-half days and we miss him bad," said Mike Johnson, a neighbor and friend of Sponseller. "He needs to return."
"Tom means so much to me and my family, and both my daughters. We have cried ourselves to sleep this week."
Johnson, as well as Sponseller's son, Thomas; and Rick Erwin, president of the Restaurant Division of the S.C. Hospitality Association, addressed the crowd of between 250-300 people.
"Tom, I don't know what happened or where you are but I pray you'll return to us safe," Johnson said.
A tearful Erwin echoes those sentiments.
"We all need Tom to come home and we need him to come quickly because we gotta keep this house in order," Erwin said referring to the State House. "That's what Tom has done for 22 years."
"He led an incredible legislative agenda for our industry. He is the best lobbyist I have ever known."
Erwin said the S.C. Hospitality Association is "doing everything we know to do to have Tom come home."
Thomas Sponseller greeted those gathering for the vigil and thanked them for all of the support the last four days.
Friends, family, members of Sponseller's church, St. Mary's Episcopal Church, all lit candles and sung hymns.
Sandra Derrick, a family friend from Irmo, said the last four days have been very hard, trying times.
"Just the uncertainity has been very difficult," Derrick said. "You don't know what to do."
"Just sitting around is just a killer."
The last time anyone reported seeing Sponseller was noon Saturday at the hospitality association’s offices on the 12th floor of a downtown office building at 1122 Lady St.
His wife, Meg, reported him missing after she and family members were unable to contact to him by phone or through text messages. The family even conducted a search to find him before filing a missing persons report.
The family has started a Facebook page to reach out to anyone who might have information.
If you see Tom Sponseller or know of his whereabouts, call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC
Original story, 4:09 p.m. Feb. 22: The family of missing lobbyist Tom Sponseller told Headline News they need the public's help locating their loved one.
Sponseller's daugher-in-law told HLN that the family wanted any information they could get about Sponseller's whereabouts:
"Anybody that has any information we'd love for them to come forward," daughter-in-law Lauren Sponseller of Lexington told HLN's Ryan Smith.
"We need some information from someone and we know someone has to have some type of information on this. So anything that can be helpful, please, we ask you for that," she said.
The article also reveals that Sponseller was involved in a car wreck last year during which he blacked out and may have suffered a seizure.
Sponseller has been missing since Saturday and police have not ruled out the possibility of foul play.
A candlelight vigil will be held for Sponseller on the State House lawn at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
