GOLCONDA – Pope County Sheriff Jerry Suits says there appears to be some confusion regarding the search for 80-year-old Jerry Harris, who has been missing since Monday evening.
Tuesday night, the Rural Pope County Fire Protection District posted on their Facebook page that they were terminating their search for Harris after spending many hours walking hundreds of acres with countless resources provided to help find Harris, only to turn up nothing.
In a press release Wednesday, Sheriff Suits says he was approached by members of the search teams about possibly terminating the search for Harris when it got dark at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The search teams told the sheriff they were exhausted. Harris’ family was contacted and agreed to the search team request.
The sheriff says the search for Harris is not over as the sheriff’s office will continue this investigation and search. The sheriff was on the phone Tuesday night and Wednesday morning with people that wanted to help and assist with the search. The sheriff asked them to come to the sheriff’s office Wednesday and escorted them to the last location Harris was seen and they would be on their own to continue searching with constant communication with the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff is also asking people to call him if they have information on abandoned structures and/or areas that may not have been searched.
Harris is described as a white male, standing 5’9” tall weighing 158 pounds. He has gray hair and was wearing a light green coat, blue jeans, gray tennis shoes, a camo hat and brown gloves. He was last seen on Ruby Yewell Road Monday evening. Harris has a condition that places him in danger.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Harris should contact the Pope County Sheriff’s Office at 618-683-4321 or call 911.
Meanwhile, the Southern Illinois Search Team will be meeting at the Pope County Sheriff’s Office in Golconda Saturday morning at 9 to continue the search for Harris.
If you would like to help, you can leave a comment on their Facebook page.