3 separate searches underway for men missing on Colorado's Western Slope
Searchers on the Western Slope gathered Friday in efforts to find three men missing in three different locations.
One man has been missing less than 24 hours. One disappeared last week. The third man was last seen in prior to Christmas.
Ground searches and aerial operations are part of an "extensive" search southwest of Maybell area for 70-year-old Thomas Ray Velasquez. According to the Moffat County Sheriff's Office, Velasquez was last seen Dec. 18 near his residence on Moffat County Road 53.
Searches are still being conducted in that area in the belief that Velasquez took out a 2020 Polaris Ranger UTV. The vehicle, described as having camouflage body panels, black doors, and top, is missing from Velasquez's residence.
Velasquez was reported missing Jan. 6. The sheriff's office has entered him into the National Crime Information Center as a missing person and is asking for "any information, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant," from the public.
John Miketin, 75, has dementia. Miketin was last seen leaving his home in a Grand Junction neighborhood on foot around 7:45 p.m. Thursday.
Miketin was not dressed for cold weather, per the Mesa County Sheriff's Office.
"He was last seen wearing a light gray windbreaker, blue jeans, black shoes, and possibly an Air Force baseball cap," the agency stated. In a previous incident, Miketin walked from Grand Junction to Fruita.
MCSO is coordinating with Mesa County Search and Rescue, but has the help of community volunteers as well.
Henry David Twitchell, a resident of el Jebel, was last seen in Carbondale on Jan. 4. According to the Eagle County Sheriff's Office, Twitchell's vehicle reportedly slid off Highway 13 in Rio Blanco County that evening. Twitchell, however, was not present at the accident scene when first responders arrived.
"The Rio Blanco Sheriff's Office discovered a single set of footprints leading from the vehicle to the highway and has continued to conduct extensive searches in the area," the Eagle County Sheriff's Office stated.
Twitchell's cell phone was pinged in Garfield County in the early morning hours of Jan. 5. But Twitchell has not been heard from since. He has also been entered into the NCIC network as a missing person.
Twitchell is thought to be wearing the same green puffy jacket in the photo of him fishing, although he is thought to be now clean-shaven, ECSO noted.
Temperatures on the Western Slope likely won't drop as severely this weekend as on the Front Range. But snow is predicted on Sunday and an overnight low of 11 degrees Monday night.
