Community conducts search for missing McGuffey man

By TIM THOMAS

Times editor

McGUFFEY — More than 60 people gathered in McGuffey Saturday morning to take part in a search for Mike Bolen.

The 66-year-old McGuffey man was last heard from on Friday, March 29.

The community-organized search party, led by Misty Conley, was targeting the area of McGuffey, Foraker and Alger. Walkers were searching around McGuffey, while several people using ATVs planned to search large areas of the target zone.

Using the McGuffey community building as headquarters, Conley said she expected searchers, who started out shortly after 9 a.m., to be out about six hours.

Hardin County Sheriff Keith Everhart was on hand to lend his support and advice to  searches.

“My guys have looked all around the area this week. They may have missed something,” he said.

Everhart advised people to stay away from the river banks because he didn’t want them to mess up any possible tracks.

The sheriff’s office has been actively investigating the case. On Friday a search warrant was served at Bolen’s residence at 304 Hunsicker St. He said they were at the scene until about 1 a.m. Saturday, with plans to return.

“We’re not clueless any more,” the sheriff told the Times. He said they spent Friday night gathering evidence, but not enough to make a determination as to what happened to Mike Bolen.

He shared the house with his son Dustin “Dusty” Bolen and Mike’s brothers, Charles and Brady, said the father and son did not always get along.

“It’s good to see the community turn out. There’s a lot of good people helping,” Brady said.

“Everybody liked him. He would do anything to help anybody else,” Charles said.

“I hope we can get some closure today. It would be great if he walked in that door,” Brady said.

The brothers said it was not like Mike to disappear. He liked to stick close to home and in nice weather he could be seen outside waving to people passing by.

Charles said Mike did something unusual on Thursday. He stayed all night at the home of his 88-year-old mother, Katie. When he left Friday morning, Mike said he was going to come back and do laundry but he never returned, Charles said.

“I wish I had gone with him,” Charles said.

Mike was supposed to have a medical scan done at a hospital on Friday, but never showed up. Family members reported him missing to the sheriff’s office on Sunday night.

Anyone with information regarding Mike’s whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Scott Willoby at the sheriff’s office, 419-673-1268, ext. 1424.