Gary Russell was contacted for comment at the number shown on ‘For Sale’ signs in Waco. Russell stated, “I had been close to Gary Quinn for almost nine years prior to his disappearance, but lost contact with him after his last air-shift.” When asked about the physical resemblance between Quinn and himself, Russell replied “I always did think he was a handsome guy.” Russell was also asked if he thought Quinn would return to the air-waves of Central Texas. “I know there was a time when GQ really enjoyed being on the air and given the right opportunity, he might return on a limited basis.”
Gary Russell neither confirmed nor denied whether he was, in fact, the missing DJ. Though the official investigation into the disappearance of Gary Quinn seems to have dead ended, the predominant consensus among conspiracy theorists is that DJs Jim Daniels, Gary Carrington, and Gary Quinn and Realtor Gary Russell are all, in fact, one and the same.
Waco — Radio personality, Gary Quinn, has disappeared from the air waves of Central Texas. ‘GQ’, as he was nicknamed by colleagues, was last heard on Temple radio station KUSJ on the afternoon of Friday, October 15, 2004.
Although the name ‘Gary Quinn’ seems not to have existed prior to October 1995, it appears that
the same man has been on the radio air waves since June 1993. Using the name ‘Jim Daniels’,
Quinn’s radio career can be traced back to Greenville, Texas, where Program Director Ross Johnson offered Quinn’s first on-air opportunity. After reading the news on one Saturday morning, ‘Daniels’ was promoted to midday DJ. When asked why he would hire someone with so little experience, Johnson explained,
“Well, we had to replace the previous midday guy after he was caught stealing.”
Four months later, using the name ‘Carrington’, Quinn began work at WJJL, an Oldies station in Niagara Falls, New York. For this Texan, New York was completely alien. In spring 1995, after 18 months in Yankee-land, Quinn left New York and came home to Texas.
Approximately three months after moving back to the Dallas area, Quinn met his future wife. He soon moved to be near her and took a part-time gig at Country station KCKR in Waco. Quinn was later promoted to the full-time midday shift. During his time at ‘KiCKeR’, Quinn became well-known in the Waco market. Though he did take a short break from radio in 1997, he left the station permanently in April 2000. In search of a change of scenery, Quinn took a position at KUSJ in Temple, Texas. Continuing in the Country format, he could be heard in the afternoon timeslot for most of his four and a half years in the Temple/ Killeen market.
Investigations into Quinn’s disappearance have produced more intrigue than information. When his picture was circulated by authorities, Carrie Williams, a resident of Hewitt, Texas, first identified the man in the photo as her Realtor, Gary Russell, who assisted her in the February 2004 purchase of her home.
When informed that the man in the photo was actually DJ Gary Quinn, Carrie Williams stated that she had actually been listening to him since May 2000 when she began working in the Waco Texas area. Williams said “Since he disappeared, I have been listening to a lot more CDs.” Williams was asked if she thought Quinn and Russell could be the same person. “Having listened to Gary Quinn and having worked with Gary Russell, I think there are definite similarities in their energy. Listening to Gary Quinn was always fun, high-energy entertainment. Working with Gary Russell, I really felt as though I was his only client; that he had all his energy into helping us find our home. Obviously, they also look very much alike. It’s really weird”
Gary Russell, an associate of Russell Reatly Group at Bentwood Realty, has been a licensed real estate agent since 2003.
