A second search party will be held Aug. 5 for Daniel Lee Thompson, 41, of Columbia, who has been missing for almost a month.
Thompson was reported missing July 7 and was last heard from June 26, according to a missing persons report. The Columbia Police Department said in a Facebook post that his red Ford F-150 was found abandoned at Rocky Forks Conservation Area north of the city.
He is 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair. Thompson has several tattoos, including roses on both temples and an ichthys (“Jesus Fish”) symbol on his right cheek. He also has tattoos on his right arm and both hands.
The first search party for Thompson was July 16, after police posted a statement on Facebook asking the public for help locating Thompson.
Police posted a similar statement on Saturday, and received several comments from community members saying they might have seen Thompson or giving suggestions on where to search for him.
Columbia police spokesperson Christian Tabak said they are following up on multiple leads, but don’t have anything concrete to share. Tabak said one of the difficult things with missing person investigations is that once information is shared with the public, calls come in from people saying the person has been spotted.
“Our detectives are currently going through all those reports, and trying to verify if there’s anything to them,” he said. “We are thankful people are coming forward with those and we are hopeful that maybe one of them has some veracity to it.”
Tabak said aside from the search party on Aug. 5, there are no other official events happening related to the missing man. People chimed in on the police’s Facebook post saying they had been searching the area on their own, and some even made plans to go together.
Missouri Missing — along with Christian Aid Ministries Search and Rescue Program and Dry Creek Bloodhounds — are conducting the upcoming search party at Finger Lakes State Park, 1505 Peabody Road. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Aug. 5 and volunteers are recommended to arrive no more than 30 minutes early, according to a news release sent out by Missouri Missing.
The release encouraged people with health conditions not to join the search, since the terrain is thick and overgrown and the weather could be hot. It also said volunteers should wear bright clothing or a reflective safety vest, as well as boots or walking shoes. Other recommendations were to bring bug spray, water and a walking stick.
Missouri Missing asked those who plan to attend to call 573-550-4187 by Aug. 3.
Police ask those who know about Thompson or have seen him to call 911 or the Columbia Police Department at 573-874-7652.