Jack Lee Howe, 87, KS Missing 8/1/2008 Truck found Monday(BODY FOUND)

[bleachedblack]

Search For Missing Man

August 4, 2008
Authorities from Cowley County, Sumner County, Grant County Oklahoma and the Kansas Highway Patrol are searching for 87-year-old Jack Lee Howe of Winfield.

Howe was last seen around noon on Friday, leaving in his vehicle. He was reported missing yesterday and that's when authorities began looking for him.

This morning his 1999 dark blue Ford Ranger pickup was found south of the town of Caldwell, about 1/4 mile across the state line into Grant County, OK. Now the authorities, along with help from the Wichita Police helicopter, are searching the surrounding area for any sign of him.

Howe is described as a white male, about 5'8" and 100 lbs. with gray hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a red flannel shirt and blue jeans. He does suffer from certain medical conditions including what appears to be the beginning effects of dementia.

Authorities have released a photograph of Howe as well as one of his vehicle.

http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/26247779.html

[bleachedblack]

UPDATE: Search for Winfield man stalls out

August 5, 2008 - 12:57:02 pm
Kansas and Oklahoma authorities have called off a search for an elderly Winfield man last seen Friday until further information is available about where Jack Lee Howe might be located, Capt. Bill Mueller of the Cowley County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday morning.

The 87-year-old man lives alone on 81st road south of Winfield. He was last seen Friday by a neighbor. She didn't see him Saturday and called the sheriff's office on Sunday. His pickup was discovered Sunday east of U.S. 81 south of Caldwell in Grant County Okla., just south of the Kansas-Oklahoma border.

Searchers blanketed the area Sunday on foot, horseback, ATVs and airplane until they ran out of daylight, Mueller said. They were back out Monday with the help of both Kansas Highway Patrol and Wichita police helicopters, tracking and cadaver dogs.

"We're pretty confident he's not right there," Mueller said.

Howe's 1999 dark blue Ford Ranger Pick-up with a light colored topper was found on the railroad right-of-way. Searchers had to wade through tall grasses and weeds with the heat index well into the 100s. An excessive heat warning is still in effect today.

Howe is not in poor physical health but couldn't survive long in 105 degree weather unprotected. There have been some recent indications of short-term memory loss that would not be unexpected in a person Howe's age, he said. A son, David, who lives out of state, is here now.

"There is always hope,' Mueller said. For example, Howe could have walked back to the road by following his pickup's tracks and been picked up by a trucker. He might have been left at a truck stop where he can get protection from the heat, he said.

Howe is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 100 pounds. He has gray hair and brown eyes and frequently wears glasses. He was last seen wearing light-colored blue jeans, light-colored suspenders and a red long sleeve flannel type shirt.

http://www.newscow.net/story.php?StoryID=2177

[MuffyBee]

8/5/2008 1:01:00 PM    
Jack Lee Howe
Rural Winfield man still missing
•Jack Lee Howe’s vehicle found in Grant County, Okla.

snipped (a bit more info)
"We got the report (Sunday) around noon that he hadn't been seen since Friday," Mueller said Monday afternoon.

Mueller said the situation got even more complicated later that afternoon when Cowley County sheriff's personnel received reports that the Grant County, Okla., Sheriff's Office had found Howe's abandoned blue 1999 Ford Ranger with a white bed topper just off U.S. 81 early Sunday morning.

Mueller said that Grant County police found the truck less than a mile south of the Oklahoma/Kansas border, alongside railroad tracks and right out of sight of vehicles passing on the highway. The spot where the truck was found is between 45 and 50 miles from Howe's home.

According to Mueller, a preliminary search of the area where the truck was found yielded no results.

Early Monday morning, Grant County officers, along with interstate aid from the Sumner County Sheriff's Department and a Kansas Highway Patrol helicopter unit, conducted an extensive search of the area but again came up with no results as to Howe's whereabouts.

When Cowley County Sheriff's Department personnel received the report, they immediately contacted Howe's next of kin to see if they had heard anything from him.
"It took a little while to get a hold of his out-of-state family, but when we did, they hadn't heard from him either," said Mueller.

Howe's son, David Howe, said when he received word that his father had gone missing, he found the situation highly unusual given that his dad has always led a quiet life and never left the house much.

"This is the first time he's ever done anything like this," David Howe said Monday afternoon.

He said hopes he hasn't seen his father for the last time, but he said now that Grant County has called off the search for his dad, he doesn't really know what's next.

"I don't really know what's going on, but I'm obviously hoping for the best," said Howe. "But right now, nobody knows where he is."

According to a blog written by Howe's granddaughter, Luann Hawker, posted on the "Chronicles of Ladyhawker" Web site (www.scotthawker.com/blog/ladyhawker/), Cowley County officers found no sign of foul play in the home or at the scene where the truck was found. The blog states, "All signs indicate that he (Howe) left the house with the intention of only being gone a short time."

If anyone has seen Jack Lee Howe or his truck between Friday and Sunday afternoon, they are encouraged to call the Cowley County Sheriff's Office at 221-5444 with any information on his whereabouts.
http://winfieldcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=25472&TM=50567.36

[bleachedblack]

Ahhhh things don't look good. Praying for a miracle. He looks so frail ..........

[bleachedblack]

Search continues for missing Cowley County man

8/6/2008 12:37:00 PM
The search for missing person Jack Lee Howe continues, despite the lack of leads and no physical signs of Howe's disappearance.

According to Cowley Sheriff's Department Capt. Bill Mueller, police have not found any indication as to why Howe went missing. Howe, 87, was last seen by neighbor Lela Bright on Friday, Aug. 1.

Though police have responded to several possible sightings of Howe, "None of them have panned out," said Mueller.

Howe's abandoned blue 1999 Ford Ranger was discovered in Grant County, Okla., on Sunday morning by the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

Despite an extensive search of the area, Howe was not found, nor was any evidence as to why he disappeared.

http://winfieldcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=25489&TM=49168.19

[MuffyBee]

bb ~  Thank you for your update.  I really fear for Mr. Howe's well being.  He looks very frail, indeed.     The search was called off and I find that distressing.  I really hope he got a ride and is safe somewhere. 

[bleachedblack]

I know MuffyBee it is very sad....seems they haven't looked that long to me. I know the heat index is still very high.....but just a little longer?

[bleachedblack]

Man still missing, last seen Saturday

Thursday, August 7, 2008

http://www.arkcity.net/stories/080708/com_0003.shtml

[MuffyBee]

Where can Mr. Howe be?    

[Bearlyhere]

Thanks BB

I sure hope he is safe.  This is really odd.  I can't imagine what happened.  I will pray for this man and hope for a good outcome, although I don't know how well he could be doing in this terrible heat.

[ladyhawker]

Thanks for posting this thread!  I am Jack's granddaughter and I am spending a lot of time trying to get his story out to the media and as visible on the web as possible.  I am hoping that if enough people hear about him and see his photo that someone will recognize him and remember a key bit of evidence that will help us find him.  Threads like this that pick up his story and pass it along are truly an answer to my prayers. 

If you want to see all the latest info on our search, check out my blog.  The link is:  http://www.scotthawker.com/blog/ladyhawker/

Thanks again!

[klaasend]

Thanks for posting this thread!  I am Jack's granddaughter and I am spending a lot of time trying to get his story out to the media and as visible on the web as possible.  I am hoping that if enough people hear about him and see his photo that someone will recognize him and remember a key bit of evidence that will help us find him.  Threads like this that pick up his story and pass it along are truly an answer to my prayers. 

If you want to see all the latest info on our search, check out my blog.  The link is:  http://www.scotthawker.com/blog/ladyhawker/

Thanks again!

Welcome Ladyhawker! 

[klaasend]

[bleachedblack]

Thanks for posting this thread!  I am Jack's granddaughter and I am spending a lot of time trying to get his story out to the media and as visible on the web as possible.  I am hoping that if enough people hear about him and see his photo that someone will recognize him and remember a key bit of evidence that will help us find him.  Threads like this that pick up his story and pass it along are truly an answer to my prayers. 

If you want to see all the latest info on our search, check out my blog.  The link is:  http://www.scotthawker.com/blog/ladyhawker/

Thanks again!

That is what I am hoping also ladyhawker. Is there any news?

My prayers are with you ,and particularly Mr.Jack Lee Howe.

[MuffyBee]

I came by to check on any updates/news on the disappearance of Mr. Howe.  Thank you for the information and photos, Ladyhawker.   You and your grandfather are in my prayers. 

[bleachedblack]

Posted 8/11/08 by Ladyhawker

++++++++

It has now been 10 days since he went missing, and we are still looking for Grandpa.  We are all feeling the intense burden of it.  After this long, we know it would be a miracle, but we are all still praying that he is found safe and sound. 

It doesn't make it any easier that I am so far away from where he went missing and where the investigation is going on.  My mind won't stop playing out possible scenarios of what could have happened to him.   I did learn that there is a bar and at least one house located right on the Oklahoma/Kansas border, meaning they sit less than a 1/4 mile from where his truck was found.  He would have been able to see the lights from those buildings at night and I think he easily could have walked there from his truck.

Also, I've been told that the Oklahoma authorities have been watching the stretch of Highway 81 where Grandpa's truck was found, and that even at night it is rare for a full minute to go by without at least one vehicle driving past.  Up until now I had pictured Grandpa stranded on a lonely stretch of road, far from any structures or traffic, but I was mistaken.  It is a comfort to know that a lot of people may have been around to offer him help, but it still doesn't explain what happened to him and where he is now.

We will keep looking for as long as it takes to find him.  I feel sure that someone has seen him and may know where he is. 

http://www.scotthawker.com/blog/ladyhawker/

[bleachedblack]

Written by LadyHawker

++++++++++
>>>>SNIP
My 87 year old Grandpa, Jack Lee Howe, is missing.  I have spent all day hammering every news outlet I can think of in the Kansas/Oklahoma area with info and photos in an effort to get as much publicity as possible for him.  These are the news links where I have found his story so far:

www.kake.com/news/headlines/26247779.html

www.ksn.com/news/local/26254479.html

www.newscow.net/story.php?StoryID=2174

www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=8785823

news.kfdi.com/News/Story/tabid/5154/story/24376/Default.aspx

winfieldcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID...

www.arkcity.net/stories/080408/com_0006.shtml

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26014099/

prairiechicken.blogspot.com/2008/08/elderly-cowley-co-kan...

KAKE-TV News also aired a story about him tonight.  A reporter from MedfordOklahoma.com has kindly contacted me and has promised to post a web page with photos and info about the search for grandpa.  That post should go up in the next day or so. 

Some of the stories have yet to post his photo, but I'm trying to get them to do that for us.  Ironically, my grandpa's hometown paper, The Courier has turned out to be the least accurate of all the reports and is one of the online stories sans photo.  To fill in some facts and dispel some inaccuracies in some of the news reports, here is what we know so far.

Grandpa loves his independence and lives alone.  As a family, we have tried to do what we can to help him remain independent despite his age and physical limitations.  We have tried to set up a system of watch care that he will accept as not too intrusive and still help to insure his safety.  His good neighbor, Lela Bright, is what we all consider his tireless guardian angel.  She checks in on him with extreme frequency, brings him his mail, drops off groceries, etc.  Last Friday, around noon, she dropped off some groceries at his house.  She left the groceries with him and went on her way, knowing he would pay her for the groceries later.

Saturday evening around 5:30, she grabbed his mail out of the mailbox with the intent of taking it up to the house for him, but noticed that his truck was not there.  She remembered that he had mentioned something about driving to Ark City to pick up something, a metal bucket, I think, so she assumed he was out running that errand.  She put his mail back in the box, knowing he would grab it out of the box as he pulled back into his driveway.  The next time she stopped by to check on him was Sunday around noon, at which time she noticed that his truck (a dark blue 1999 Ford Ranger pickup) was still not home and the same mail was still in the box, indicating that he had not been home all night.  She immediately called my mother and father in Wisconsin to tell them of her concern for Grandpa.  My dad immediately got the sheriff's office involved.  After searching the house, they found no signs of foul play in the house or anywhere on the property.  His checkbook, wallet, and walking cane seemed to be the only things he took with him.  A check for the groceries was written out to Lela and left lying on the kitchen table, presumable to be given to her the next time she stopped by.  One of his dogs was in a pen behind the house and the other dog was in a kennel inside the house.  All signs indicate that he left the house with the intention of only being gone a short time.

Shortly after Grandpa was reported missing to the Cowley County Sheriff's department, an APB for him and his vehicle was put out over a wide area.  It was sent out to multiple states in the off chance that he had decided to drive up to visit his son in Minnesota or his wife and daughter (my mom) in Wisconsin.  His wife, is no longer physically strong enough to live at home and resides in a care home near where my parents live in Wisconsin.  After a few hours, an APB turned up the fact that his truck had been found just south of the  Kansas/Oklahoma border on Highway 81 between Caldwell, KS and Medford, OK.   

The abandoned blue Ford Ranger Pickup was spotted by a passing train on Saturday morning and reported to the Oklahoma authorities (Highway Patrol, I presume).  A train had been by there at around 9 pm on Friday night, but did not report the truck.  We don't know if the 9pm Friday train didn't see the truck or if the truck wound up there sometime after that train had already passed.  We were told that officers came out and investigated the scene assuming that the truck had been abandoned by a drunk driver, so the scene was investigated to gather evidence, then the truck was sent to the impound in Tonkawa, OK.  We have heard foggy reports that there was some sort of confusion about the tag number on the truck, which slowed down the process of identifying Grandpa as the owner, but so far we as a family haven't been able to gain a clear understanding of what that confusion was about.  Once the APB went out, the Oklahoma authorities realized that the impounded truck belonged to our missing Jack Lee Howe, and we finally had a place to start concentrating the search.

The car had gone off of the east side of the road at a right angle to the highway.  He went through the tall grass in the ditch, over a berm, and onto the edge of the railroad right-of-way. There were no skid or acceleration marks noted anywhere.  After conversation with several officials, it is inconclusive if he was traveling north or south or if he had headed straight across the highway from a driveway.  At that point the truck would no longer have been visible to a passing car on the highway.  A detective on the scene today indicated that he believes the most likely direction for a man on foot to go after leaving the truck would have been right back to the road by the same path that the truck had just plowed through the tall grass.  Foot travel along the tracks looks to have been difficult enough that is unlikely he would have attempted it and the grass all around in other directions would have been difficult to walk through as well.  The paint on the truck was scratched from being driven through the weeds and brush, but showed no other signs of damage.  There was no broken glass or blood to indicate that he suffered any injury when he went off the road.

Aircraft began searching the area for him yesterday and continued until dark.  Today's search began at 6 am (Monday, Aug 4) and included an extremely detailed search for a 100 yard radius around the car, a shoulder to shoulder grid search for a one mile radius from the car, and an additional search by air, horse, and ATV up to a 5 mile radius out from the car.  The ground search turned up absolutely no sign of him and was called off around 2 pm this afternoon.

http://www.scotthawker.com/blog/ladyhawker?tq=Wichita

[MuffyBee]

Family continues search for missing man
By Cass Rains, Staff Writer
Published: August 16, 2008 12:50 am
 Family members of an 87-year-old Kansas man who has been missing for more than two weeks are asking anyone with information to call the family or law enforcement officers.

Jack Lee Howe was last seen about 9:15 a.m. Aug. 1 in the Winfield area of Cowley County, Kan., at a Dillon’s grocery store.

Howe’s dark-blue 1999 Ford Ranger extended cab pickup with white camper shell was found Aug. 2 alongside U.S. 81 in Grant County, about a quarter mile south of the state line, off the road in tall grass by a set of railroad tracks.

Howe is described as 5-feet, 8-inches tall, weighing about 100 pounds, with short thinning gray hair, brown eyes and usually wearing glasses. Howe was wearing a long sleeve royal blue shirt, light blue jeans, red suspenders and a blue baseball cap the last time he was seen. He also walks with a cane.

Howe’s neighbor, Lela Bright, reported him missing to the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office two days after he did not return from a shopping trip.

Since his disappearance, extensive searches of the area where Howe’s pickup was found have been conducted, said Grant County Sheriff Roland Hula.

Members of Grant County Sheriff’s Office conducted searches over two days, with help from Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Wichita Police Department and Kansas State Highway Patrol, two K-9 search and rescue teams, as well as aid from the Sumner County and Cowley County emergency management and fire departments.

All told, Hula said, an area a mile and half to two miles near where the truck was found was searched for any signs of Howe, but none were found.

“There was nothing we could point to with any certainty that he was still in the area,” Hula said.

Hula said his department checked with hospitals and shelters in surrounding areas, but none had any sign of Howe. He said the man’s information has been entered in the National Crime Informa-tion Center database, and any contact with law enforcement should show Howe as a missing person, as long as Howe gives his correct information.

Howe’s nephew, Ron Howe, said his uncle’s truck was found with Fig Newtons, two flashlights and the keys in it. He said his uncle would have to have the cookies every night, would not go into the dark without a flashlight and always took the keys out of his truck.

“The keys in the ignition and the two flashlights makes no sense,” Ron Howe said.

He said his uncle is a creature of habit and would not deviate from his usual patterns.

Anyone who has seen or has information about Jack Lee Howe is asked to call the Cowley County Sheriff’s Department at (620) 326-2356, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office at (580) 395-2356 or local law enforcement office.
print this story

http://www.enidnews.com/localnews/local_story_229005058.html

Ladyhawk ~ I hold hope your grandfather will be found alive and well.  Please let us know how you are doing and if there are any updates. 

[Bearlyhere]

 Searching for Jack Lee Howe: "Missing" Poster Update
Friday, 15 August 2008 at 04:35 PM

The Cowley County Kansas Sheriff Department has updated Grandpa's official "Missing" poster. Since the truck has been found (on Aug 2), they removed the photo of the truck to help stress the point that we are only now only looking for him, not his truck. Here is the new poster:



There have been calls coming in from good citizens all over the country that believe they may have seen Grandpa. Some of them are as close to where he went missing as Winfield and Caldwell, KS. Some of the calls have been from as far away as Hawaii. Every call is taken seriously and investigated, but unfortunately none of them have yielded information to help us discover his whereabouts, or help us piece together what might have happened to him after he left the Dillon's Grocery store in Winfield, KS at 9:20pm on Aug 1, 2008.

Many thanks to all the good people that are keeping an eye out for him and calling in with possible information. I am extremely hopeful that one of those calls will be the key to finding him and bringing him home.

I also want to note that I have changed the top banner graphic on my blog to highlight our search for Grandpa. If you are seeing this in a RSS reader, click on over to my blog page to see the update.

[Bearlyhere]

Ladyhawker's (Jack's Granddaughter's) Flickr page:

http://flickr.com/photos/ladyhawker/sets/72157606756633821/



Best wishes, Ladyhawker in your search for your Grandfather.  May he come home soon.