Search continues for missing White County man in Hart County
Community rallies to find missing neighbor
It's been over two weeks since family and friends last saw Douglas Barnes. His car was found on July 21, he was reported missing a week later. But his loved ones refuse to give up hope. The Hart County Sheriff's Office, along with the Georgia State Patrol say they will continue their search.
HART COUNTY - The search continues for a White County man who disappeared in July.
36-year-old Douglas "Cordell" Barnes was last seen at his home in White County on July 19.
On July 21, his gold Ford 150 was found stuck in mud near Providence Church Road and Knox Bridge Crossing in Hart County.
Since then, deputies in Hart County have gone door-to-door, searched multiple areas, and followed up on "many" leads in an effort to locate Barnes.
The community was invited to help search for Barnes on Saturday morning. Search crews gathered at Georgia State Patrol's command center on Knox Road in Lavonia between 7:45 and 8 a.m.
A helicopter from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources helped with the search.
"We have shifted our efforts about five miles up the road on highway 77," said search coordinator Scott Duckworth. "There's been some at least three people that I know of that have said we have seen him."
Duckworth works with Texas EquuSearch, a search and recovery nonprofit based in Dickinson, Texas.
"We are optimistic that he is in this area," he said. "Every case is important, you know? I hear sometimes people refer to high profile cases … all cases are high profile. It doesn't matter if it's this person, that person, [a] 5-year-old, or a 95-year-old. They're all just as important to us."
Barnes was last seen wearing jeans and a T-shirt. He is 5-feet-8-inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. He usually wears a camouflage hat, according to the sheriff's office.
Barnes' family says it is out of character for him to be out of touch, and they are concerned for his well-being.
"If we're not successful, that does not mean the search is over," Duckworth said.
Anyone with information about the missing man is asked to call Hart County Sheriff's Office at 706-376-3114.