Sheriff’s police in Montana said they have suspended the search for a 45-year-old Batavia man who is considered missing under suspicious circumstances after his vehicle was found in the south-central part of the state.
Authorities said a 2016 gray Dodge Charger belonging to Paul Batson was found April 29 in the town of Reed Point, which is about 60 miles west of Billings along Interstate 90. He has not been seen or heard from since.
“The Paul Batson investigation has gone cold due to a lack of leads,” Sgt. Randy Smith of the Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office said in an email to The Beacon-News. “We have not received any new leads as to his whereabouts but we will look into any that come in.”
Batson, a U.S. Postal Service carrier, apparently was in Montana looking for work, officials said. His route covered portions of Geneva.
In early May search and rescue teams expanded the search area using dogs from other jurisdictions but had no success in finding the man.
Smith said search and rescue teams as well as dogs covered more than 500 acres in hopes of finding Baston in the Reed Point area.
“Search and rescue efforts have been suspended,” he said.
Smith said the Bozeman Police Department picked up the case, following the initial search by the Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office and Stillwater County Search and Rescue.
Batson is described as being 6 feet, 2 inches tall with brown eyes and brown hair. Anyone who may have had contact with Batson is urged to contact Sgt. Randy Smith at the Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office at 406-322-5326.
