Community Search For Missing White Co. Citizen Tuesday

White County residents will be conducting a community search day Tuesday with the goal of locating 64-year-old Sparta resident Roy Whited.

Whited was last seen on May 3 near Lovejoy Road, where the search will be taking place. First Baptist Church Sparta Pastor Brad Walker told the county commission during their Monday meeting that there are about 4,000 acres in the surrounding hunting lease area that are being searched.

“They’ve done so much searching already, and so this gives people the opportunity,” Walker said. “And a lot of the outside folks that we’ve talked to, many times you have to go over and over and over and over in searches like this, and places that you think you think you’ve searched a million times sometimes is where they locate.”

Walker said the search will be led by the White County Sheriff’s Department. He said it will be taking place from 8:00am to 5:00pm.

“Because of the dense nature of the area, they’re going to keep a close account on who’s coming and who’s going back there and have checkpoints,” Walker said.

Walker said many organizations have donated food and drinks for those searching throughout the day. Walker said there will be parking for volunteers at DeRossett Church of Christ, as well as vans that will shuttle them to the search area.

“There’s going to be some people that are bringing horses or horse trailers,” Walker said. “There’s space back in the hunting lease area that he has designated for hunting trailers, and if people have side-by-sides or ATVs they can park at the church and the sheriff said they can ride over, or if they needed to unload at the hunting lease they can bring it over and do that.”