A local businessman, pilot helps find elderly man who went missing

Law enforcement in Attala County recently searched night and day for a man from Vicksburg

ATTALA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- Law enforcement in Attala County recently searched night and day for a man from Vicksburg.

He was lost and in unfamiliar surroundings.

“He was 80-something years old an elderly black man who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and he was traveling I believe from Vicksburg the night of the storm and he became lost,” said Attala County investigator Jimmy Nunn.

Nunn said the man was lost for more than a day, and that the man’s cell phone reception was spotty so he and his team put up the drone.

They eventually called over to Franks Chevrolet, not for a truck, but for a plane and a pilot.

“I met him at the airport probably within 20 minutes of him calling, we were in the air just shortly after up around McCool MS which is about 15 miles to the east of here, and found him pretty quick after we flew over a few places. He was in the middle of a green field definitely stuck,” said local pilot Stephen Franks.

Franks said in many cases he looks forward to flying his plane; it’s just an added bonus when it comes to helping others.

“You look for reasons to fly and when you find a reason that helps someone else then it’s even more rewarding to fly and being able to fly cancer patients back and forth to hospitals to help people do their transplant I’ve done that,” said Franks.

The sheriff’s office said they appreciate Franks and his efforts in helping the community.

Sheriff Nunn said the plane was able to go higher than the drone, and that he’s glad that Attala County has two ways they can hit the air for different missions.

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