OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The family of a missing 73-year-old man is pleading for help finding him as the search in Osceola County enters its fourth day.
The family of Herman McClenton joined Sheriff Marcos Lopez Monday afternoon at the sheriff’s office to ask for help.
“You never imagined that you will be in a situation. I mean, you see the news all the time and you know that these things can happen but you never expect it to be you,” one family member said.
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McClenton was visiting the area from Eustis with his family for Thanksgiving. Detectives said McClenton left Emerald Island Resort on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, and was last seen in an adjacent neighborhood on Friday, Nov. 25.
Surveillance video released by the sheriff’s office shows the man walking alone near a tree-lined pond.
“We’re focusing the search in the area around the neighborhood where he was last seen. It was one of the ponds just a little bit west of here. And that was one of the last confirmed sightings that we see him,” Lopez said. “There’s approximately 200 acres of swampy area in there. We’ve really expanded our search not only in that area, but in outside the neighborhood just in case he’s left the location.”
Lopez said deputies were searching bodies of water in the area, adding that they have some sonar equipment in use to check hard-to-reach areas.
“We’re going to keep looking,” a family member said. “Keep sending those tips because it gives us an idea of where he might be going and if we can lock it down, we’re going to bump into him at some point.”
The sheriff’s office released photos of the outfit McClenton was last seen wearing; a red hat with a religious quote, a dark T-shirt, blue jeans and black shoes, deputies said.
McClenton has black hair and brown eyes. He is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 197 pounds and is suspected to be on foot, the sheriff’s office added.
Anyone who knows the whereabouts of McClenton is asked to evaluate his well-being and contact the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office at 321-348-2222 or 911, referencing case No. 22i126351.
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