Missing man's SUV found abandoned in Clayton County

BARNESVILLE, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Deputies say this could be a life-or-death situation for a local father from Lamar County.

Roderick Crawford seemingly vanished last Friday after driving to work to check his schedule.

Crawford was coming to Craft Flower Mill on Industrial Road last Friday night. Family members say Roderick Crawford had driven to the Mill to check his schedule as a truck driver for J & M Tank Lines. The mill is about 4 miles away from his Barnesville area home. 

"When he left he told the boys – they have three boys – he said 'I’m gonna be right back. I’m going to check the work schedule,'" family member Gloria Baker told FOX 5.

He never returned home. Lamar County Sheriff investigators say the 46-year-old did call his wife Friday night, like most nights when she was getting off work. But this time they didn’t connect.

“He usually calls her because she has a long commute back home. She said she had missed it. She got off at 7:20. He called at 7:19 and no more phone calls,” said Baker. 

Investigators say within half an hour or so Crawford’s phone was pinged in Thomason in Upson County about 15 miles from his home. 

Then Tuesday, investigators say they found his SUV abandoned in Clayton County.

""We contracted Georgia Bureau of Investigations to come and process the vehicle in the morning," Lamar County Sheriff Brad White

White says Crawford’s phone was deactivated sometime late Friday night after it had last been pinged in Upson County.

"It means the phones turned off or the batteries been taken out or it’s been crushed where it’s not hitting the cell tower," he said. "The cell tower is not receiving a signal from it anymore."

White said another red flag is Crawford not reaching out to his wife, three sons and friends.

"He always stays in contact with his close friends and family," he said. "There’s a lot of red flags in this case."

Family members are asking anyone who can help to contact the Lamar County Sheriff's Department.