The search continues for 79-year-old missing Henry County man

HENRY COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — Henry County authorities have expanded their search efforts and left no stone unturned in the hopes of finding an elderly missing man.

It’s been about 72 hours since 79-year-old Kenneth Turner was reported missing from his Fieldale home.

Turner was last seen at his on Massie Drive on Friday, April 12. He was reported missing the following day by his family members.

Crews began their search on Saturday in the direct area of his home. They continued the search on Sunday, and after not being able to locate him, the sheriff's office amped up their search efforts.

Crews were staged all day on Monday at the Collins-Mckee-Stone funeral home in Bassett, not too far from Turner’s home.

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Henry County Sheriff Wayne Davis said that it’s believed that Turner left his home on foot since both of his vehicles are still parked at his home.

Authorities said over 100 people assisted in the search and rescue efforts. Several additional teams joined forces with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office including Virginia State Police and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

Crews searched wooded areas and bodies of water in the area of Turner's home.

Henry County Sheriff, Wayne Davis said the extra help is crucial because time is of the essence, and it allows crews to cover more ground.

“We have a number of trained professionals out here who are familiar with recovering people who walk away from home. So, we wanted to utilize every resource possible to try and bring Mr. Turner back to his family as quickly and safely as possible,” Sheriff Davis said.

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Davis said that Turner’s health issues are a major concern. Turner has some cognitive issues and is insulin-dependent.

The sheriff’s office said it's important for people in the community to not take matters into their own hands if they locate Turner.

“I would remind the community to please not self-deploy out here to begin searching. We would like to keep this search concentrated to trained professionals because the last thing we want is for another community member to possibly get lost, fall into a river, or get injured themselves."

If you have any information about his whereabouts or have seen him recently, you are asked to contact 9-1-1 or the Martinsville-Henry County Communications Center at 276-638-8751.