Robert Wiles Disappeared Last April 1 From LAL

It's been 11 months since a Florida pilot and businessman went missing from Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) in central Florida... and the FBI is asking for the public's help in finding out what happened.

As ANN reported, Robert Wiles disappeared was last seen at 6:30 pm April 1, at his workplace at LAL. Wiles is the son of Thomas Wiles, owner of Toledo-based National Flight Services; Robert Wiles is the business development manager at the company's branch at LAL.

Robert's parents told authorities they received a ransom note two days after he disappeared, and followed its directions... but they haven't heard anything since. To date, no one has come forward with new information about Robert's disappearance, despite emotional appeals from Thomas and his wife, Pamela, to the kidnappers. They've even offered a $10,000 reward.

"If anyone knows where he is, we need to speak with Robert," said Pamela Wiles in a news conference Tuesday. "We'll do anything we can to get our son back and bring him home safe."

Now, the FBI says it may be close to a break in the case... but is also asking the public at large for any additional clues that may help them find Robert.

"If there was any case that the public should call and get involved in, it's this case, because we are so close to getting the situation resolved," FBI spokesman David Couvertier said at the press conference in Tampa, reports MSNBC.

During an interview this week with NBC's Today show, former FBI profiler Clint Van Zandt offered his take on the circumstances of the case... and theorized why the FBI chose to appeal to the public now, after declining to do so for the better part of a year.

"In this particular case, somebody knows this family," Van Zandt said. "They know that the business this young man was involved in made $8.5 million last year. They know the intricacies of the victim, of his family, of the business... This looks like an inside job, where somebody who works or worked for the company or had some contact with the family was responsible. So that really narrows down the pool of suspects that the FBI has to look at.

"It's unusual to have a kidnap for ransom in the United States," he added. "The FBI’s good at this and they usually solve them."

FMI: www.fbi.gov, www.nationalflight.com