Search for local man continues
The search continued Tuesday for a local man who was reportedly last seen 12 days ago while riding four- wheelers with friends near Lonsdale.
Roy O’Neal Smith, 25, was last seen around 3: 30 p. m. July 27 by his girlfriend, Jessica Qualls, while riding with friends in a wooded area off Highway 171, according to Garland County Sheriff ’ s Department reports.
Family members contacted the sheriff’s department around 7: 30 p. m. Sunday to report him missing and deputies began searching for him Monday afternoon, driving roads in the area, and the search escalated Tuesday with the GCSD search and rescue team and mounted patrol searching the woods, while an Arkansas State Police helicopter searched from above.
Hot Spring County Sheriff ’ s deputies were also assisting in the search, since part of the area is in that county.
Lt. James “Corky” Martin, who was still on the scene searching around 3 p. m., said they were focusing their search on the wooded areas between Highways 171 and 51 toward Jones Mill, since that’s where Smith and his friends were reportedly riding.
He said Smith and his girlfriend and three other people were initially out riding and at some point Smith went off on his own and got separated. Martin noted they were getting conflicting stories about where he got separated.
He noted the mounted patrol searched from 7 a. m. to 2 p. m. with no luck, and Martin was up in the helicopter searching and “didn’t see anything that really stuck out.”
The incident report notes Qualls got a call from the victim indicating he was “at the bottom of a hill” and dehydrated, but his exact location was not known at that time.
Smith is described as white, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighing 190 pounds, medium build, with short brown hair, green eyes, a goatee and mustache and he is missing one middle finger at the knuckle.
Martin said he wasn’t sure Tuesday afternoon if they would resume searching today if Smith was not found Tuesday, but that the investigation will continue.
GCSD investigator Angela Graybeal said Tuesday she was still interviewing witnesses and trying to get more information about the situation.
Anyone with information about Smith’s whereabouts should call the GCSD main number at 622- 3660 or call Graybeal at 622- 3690.