Where is Tom Sponseller?

Men like Tom Sponseller don't just "disappear."

"He's a Citadel graduate," Lexington Mayor Randy Halfacre said Tuesday. "He's just very disciplined."

Disciplined or not, the military college alum has been missing since Saturday, and the whereabouts of the high-profile head of the S.C. Hospitality Association remains a mystery — and police have reportedly not ruled out foul play.

"It's like he's just been beamed up into space," remarked Halfacre, a friend of Sponseller's who is wondering, like many others, just what has happened to the 61-year-old lobbyist.

Amidst the mystery, friends and family on Wednesday night have planned a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. on the State House grounds for Sponseller's "safe return." The family also has started a Facebook page.

In the meantime, Columbia Police Department investigators are using cell phone and credit card records in their search for Sponseller, department spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons said Tuesday. They're also reviewing surveillance footage from downtown security cameras.

But so far, no results.

The mystery began over the past weekend. Family members filed a missing persons report at the department headquarters Saturday evening when Sponseller failed to come home from work or return phone calls, Timmons said. 

"They became very concerned for his safety and well-being, and they certainly did the right thing," she said.

According to The State, Sponseller was last seen around noon Saturday at the hospitality association’s offices on the 12th floor of a downtown office building at 1122 Lady St. "It was common practice for him to drop by the office on weekends," said Columbia Police Chief Randy Scott.

Unreturned calls and text messages from Sponseller's wife and family prompted a search lasting several hours, leading ultimately to filing a missing persons report. 

Sponseller's wallet and cellphone have not been located, but his car was found parked at his office in downtown Columbia shortly after his disappearance, Timmons said. Investigators found no clues during a search of the car. Nothing was out of the ordinary, she said. 

Timmons said the police department is following up on any tips it receives.

"It's an unusual situation," Halfacre said. "People are puzzled as to what has happened and why. Right now we're just concerned about his well-being."