Officials search for missing man in Brooksville
70-year-old David Brown was reported missing on Tuesday afternoon. According to officials, he is suffering from serious health problems.
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. – Officials say they are still searching for a 70-year-old man who was reported missing after the dog he was walking returned to a Brooksville home without him on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, someone called around 1:30 p.m. to report a missing person. The caller told officers he had been walking with David Brown in a wooded area off Batten Road in Brooksville.
According to officials, the caller’s dog was also with the two men.
According to authorities, the caller said he briefly returned to a house to get something and left the dog and Brown to continue exploring.
Courtesy: Hernando County Sheriff’s Office
Before the caller could return to the wooded area, he told officers that the dog had arrived at the house without Brown. The caller said he searched the wooded area for several hours before notifying the sheriff’s office.
According to officials, patrol officers, canine units, drone officers, the HCSO mounted civilian unit and the HCSO aviation unit immediately began searching when they arrived at the scene.
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The sheriff’s office said some residents in the area had security cameras and had reviewed the footage. Officials said there was video of Brown walking through wooded areas around 10:40 a.m.
Authorities said he was running south toward Hayman Road.
Courtesy: Hernando County Sheriff’s Office
Shortly after arriving at the scene, officers requested assistance from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office canine unit and a canine team (bloodhounds) was dispatched to assist in the search.
Deputies said the team searched the area thoroughly but did not find the man.
Throughout the night, the HCSO’s flight unit and officers with drones (both equipped with infrared capabilities) searched the vast wooded area, but the sheriff’s office said they were still unsuccessful.
Search efforts continued Wednesday morning with numerous responders from HCSO, Pasco Sheriff’s Office (PSO), Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Hernando County Fire Rescue (HCFR) and volunteers from the HCSO Sheriff’s Emergency Response Volunteer Team (SERV), authorities said.
Investigators are asking residents in the area to check their properties, sheds or outbuildings, parked vehicles, areas covered with brush/shrubs, etc. for Brown.
Courtesy: Hernando County Sheriff’s Office
Brown is described as a 70-year-old white man. He has gray hair, a gray goatee and is slim.
Officials say he was last seen wearing a white shirt with horizontal blue stripes (torn on the back), blue shorts, no shoes, and possibly a sock. Officials say he was originally wearing shoes, but surveillance footage shows he was wearing only a sock and no shoes.
According to officials, Brown has significant health problems.
If you see or have seen Brown, or know his current whereabouts, you are asked to call the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office at 352-754-6830 or 9-1-1 in an emergency.
The sheriff’s office says anyone who took Brown should contact authorities.
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