By J.D. Bailey
Banner-News
The official search for Rodney Cherry of Magnolia has ended with little to no findings.
During a press conference Monday morning, media outlets from around the region gathered at the Columbia County Justice & Detention Facility to hear from the family of the man missing for more than a week. Sheriff Mike Loe also spoke to update the public on the search efforts for the 51-year-old and to dispel any rumors.
“Last Saturday around 3 p.m., Mr. Cherry walked away from his residence,” Loe said. “We implemented a ground search that night with negative results. The Wade [Correctional Center of Caddo Parish] dog team was also called in to search the area with negative results. We put our drone the air the next morning and did a grid search with negative results. We called in the state police helicopter out of Little Rock, and they also did a grid search of the area, and they also came away with negative results.”
Cherry was last seen Nov. 11 by a home security camera wearing a gray shirt, camouflage pants, a blaze orange hunting vest and a backpack. It was noted Monday that Cherry’s wallet and phone were left behind at his home before leaving – an irregular hunting practice. The only form of identification thought to be on Cherry’s person Nov. 11 was a concealed-carry permit issued by the state of Arkansas. The lack of any findings have caused law enforcement search and rescue efforts to halt.
“At this point, we have done all that we know to do,” Loe said.
The sheriff did say, however, that the
missing person case was still ongoing, and officials will continue to dig for any signs of Cherry’s whereabouts via personal records and any other paper-trails.
The search was primarily concentrated around Cherry’s home in the rural, County Road 47 (Dudney Road) area near Logoly State Park. Loe said canine units were able to track Cherry’s scent to the intersection of Dudney Road and the dirt-surfaced County Road 68 — commonly known as Cowboy Road — before the trail was lost.
“We didn’t find any evidence of another mode of transportation being in the woods around [the intersection] … we didn’t find anything,” he said. “He just disappeared at that point.”
The intersection where Cherry’s trail went cold is approximately 1.25 miles northeast of his County Road 511 home. The area surrounding the home is filled for miles with rural farmlands, clear-cuts and densely wooded thickets and timber lands.
It was previously thought that Cherry left a note for his family before his sudden disappearance on Nov. 11. During the press conference, multiple notes to his family members were confirmed by Cherry’s spouse, Demetris.
“They were just letters telling us he loved us,” she said.
The writings offered no details on the case.
“The note was very vague,” Loe added. “He did not specifically indicate anything that he was going to do.”
The Cherry family notified authorities of their missing loved one after he did not show up for a birthday party. When they arrived home, Cherry’s vehicle was present, but he was not.
“Any lead, please just let us know,” Demetris Cherry said. “We’re just desperate to find him.”
She said Cherry has no history of mental illness or major health issues, noting that his cholesterol medication was left at home.
The press conference Monday was also called, in part, to ask that negative social media comments and speculation be toned down during such a stressful time for the family.
“There’s a lot of rumors out there on Facebook and social media, and some of those rumors aren’t so kind to Mrs. Cherry and her family,” Loe said.
Demetris Cherry only asked that if her husband were out there somewhere, to please come home.
“We are so worried and there’s so many people that love you,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Call us, please.”
If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Rodney Cherry, call 911 immediately.