Follow up searches for Jack Lee Howe ? a Winfield man missing for nearly a month ? have been unsuccessful in locating his whereabouts, Cowley County Sheriff’s Capt. Bill Mueller said Thursday.
"We searched again and the trackers thought maybe they had found some cane tracks but now they don’t know if that’s the case," Mueller said. "At this point we’re just following up on any new calls or possible sightings."
Fliers containing written information about Howe are being circulated in further effort to locate the elderly man.
Trackers were back in Grant County last week searching the area near where Howe’s abandoned pickup was found earlier this month. Mueller said authorities had "very thoroughly searched" a five-mile area near where Howe’s vehicle was found.
The area was searched by all terrain vehicle, horseback and using a cadaver dog but few, if any, clues were found in the area. Searchers also looked for material items, like a cane or cap, that might have been dropped but found nothing.
An aerial search was conducted to cover a less intensive sweep of an area outside the five-mile radius but Mueller said it was unlikely Howe could reach those areas due to restricted mobility.
Mueller did say that Howe’s wallet has not been recovered and was thought to be with him.
"Which would make us believe that if he were picked up by someone along the road he’d have identification with him that would let people know who he is," he said.
