Preble County man still missing

He never emerged from woods after he was left there to hunt ginseng.

Nearly a week after NEW PARIS — a man went missing in a wooded, rural area of Preble County, family members want authorities to do more to find their nephew and brother.

But authorities say they have devoted lots of man hours and resources toward the search for Bobby Joe Grubbs, but there are no answers yet and few clues to solve the mystery.

Grubbs, 33, was last seen the morning of May 26 when his mother dropped him off on Fleenor Road, a dead-end road southeast of New Paris. Family members said Grubbs was there to search for ginseng plants, but he apparently never emerged from the woods.

Preble County Sheriff Mike Simpson said he fears that something unfortunate may have happened to Grubbs.

“We continue to work on it to try to track down information, but we don’t have a lot to go on,” Simpson said.

While Grubbs was missing on Saturday, two calls were made to 911 from his cell phone, but there was no voice on the other end, according to authorities.

Simpson said his office was able to determine that Grubbs’ cell phone is somewhere on the property, but searches have turned up nothing, and now the cell phone battery is likely dead.

“If he’s injured or worse, we would like to find him to answer questions for the family,” Simpson said.

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office helicopter was used in search efforts on Sunday, the day after Grubbs disappeared. Simpson said search and rescue dogs were used from neighboring jurisdictions on Monday and Wednesday and investigators were out on the property Thursday, Simpson said. He said that no search efforts occurred Tuesday.

Court records show that Grubbs has a criminal record and has previously spent time in prison. He has a pending breaking and entering case in Preble County and authorities said he faces additional prison time because of it.

Simpson said he has not discounted the possibility that Grubbs may have left without telling his family.

Grubbs’ aunt, Betty Phillips, and his sister, Tonya Baird, said they are not satisfied by the sheriff’s search efforts and question whether Bobby Joe’s criminal past has influenced their resolve to find him.