(WXYZ) — For 5 decades, the FBI has searched for clues into the disappearance of former Teamsters union leader Jimmy Hoffa.
Watch Simon Shaykhet's video report:
The legendary figure has been missing since July 30, 1975.
Web extra: 2013 search for Jimmy Hoffa in Oakland Township
“Hoffa was legendary. He helped create middle-class America,” says Kevin D. Moore, the President of Teamsters Local 299.
Inside the office James R. Hoffa once worked in, photos and iconic memories are still on full display. The union he once led and local president Kevin D. Moore are paying tribute to the man who helped organize so many.
Web extra: On the ground during the search for Jimmy Hoffa
“40-hour work week. Vacation time. Sick time. Health care. Retirement,” says Moore.
In a sense, Moore has kept the office frozen in time as the mystery over what happened to Hoffa goes unsolved 50 years later.
“This office is historical. The exact way it was when he was here. Everything except the color of carpeting,” Moore says.
“We all know there’s been a number of digs. It’s never gone away,” says Andy Arena of the Detroit Crime Commission.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Feds dig in Oakland Township field for Jimmy Hoffa
A former FBI Detroit Special Agent in Charge, Arena, met with me outside the parking lot of the former Machus Red Fox in Bloomfield Township, the last place Hoffa was allegedly seen.
“The FBI and law enforcement tracked down every lead," Arena says. “There’s a lot of theories. Conspiracies. One or two people still around may have been directly involved, but did someone share something on their deathbed? We don’t know.”
“When I first became U.S. Attorney, I had the entire Hoffa file delivered to my office. I reviewed every paper and went to Washington, D.C.,” says former U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider. “This case has a lot of people who don’t want to talk and won’t speak. It’s been a real impediment to solving it.”
Hoffa, a husband, father, and grandfather, vanished at a time when he sought to resume control of the union after being released from prison.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Anthony Joseph Zerelli speaks about search for Jimmy Hoffa in Oakland
I asked Schneider about the need to keep going, as so many theories still suggest Hoffa’s disappearance was the result of a dispute between him and members of Detroit’s organized crime families.
“As long as there are victim's family out there, and surviving, and they want to know, then the FBI should continue to investigate,” Schneider says.
Web extra: 2003 report on Bay City dig for Jimmy Hoffa
“Just think about this, you lost a loved one and you and your sister, children, and grandchildren don’t have closure after 50 years,” says Moore.
I did reach Jimmy Hoffa’s son, who also went on to become a union leader. He declined an interview but told me by phone his father was legendary and this time of year is extremely emotional for his family.
