WOLCOTT -- What started as a missing person's case has now turned into a criminal investigation.
Scott Basile, 23, was last seen on January 2 when he left his mother's house to do some errands and never returned. He was reported missing four days later.
At a Friday press conference, Wolcott Police Chief Edward Stephens said Basile is "intentionally missing."
Investigators believe Basile vanished because he is the prime suspect in a Waterbury arson case.
Dep. Chief Fernando Spagnolo of Waterbury Police announced at the press conference that an arrest warrant is out for Basile, charging him with criminal mischief, arson and attempt to manufacture bombs. More on those allegations in the video above.
Shortly after Basile's disappearance, the car he borrowed from his stepfather was involved in a crash in Stamford. No one was found inside the car but a witness reported seeing a black man walking away from the scene.
Police said they used DNA from the car to identify and locate the men who admitted to being with Basile in early January. Those individuals said Basile asked them to drop him off at a train station.
"Scott had left the vehicle and the keys right in the area where they were all partying. That's how the other two people got a hold of the car and then the next day, you know, hours later, they had crashed into the pole," said Stephens, who added that the crash appeared unintentional.
"The main point is getting a hold of Scott, getting him back here and making sure he is safe," said Stephens of the search for Basile and the appeal to the public for help.
He doesn't think Basile's family knows what is going on.
"They're very concerned parents, you know and as you can see through Facebook, they want him to get back safe and sound and know he is okay," said Stephens.
Basile's family set up a Facebook page in hopes of finding him and have been putting up missing person flyers all over the state and in parts of New York.
At the time of his disappearance, Basile's family said he has a history of mental health issues but it's not like him to lose contact for a while.
Stephens said the 23-year-old had left his cell phone at home.
Basile's mother told FOX 61 via Facebook that she is shocked by the allegations against her son. She said he asked for help with mental health issues at a hospital twice in December but said he was sent home.
Basile hasn't been seen for almost two months. He is 23 years old, 5-foot-11, 220 pounds with black hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a dark gray/black hoodie with matching pants.
