Photo contributed by the Grundy County Sheriff's Office / Josh Day has been missing since July 24, 2020, when he was last seen riding an ATV in a remote area south of Tracy City, Tenn. The ATV was found Sunday.Authorities in Grundy County, Tennessee, are seeking a 31-year-old man who went missing Friday night on an all-terrain vehicle in a remote area south of Tracy City near the Grundy-Marion county line, according to Sheriff Clint Shrum.
The Grundy County office is the lead agency in the search for local resident Josh Day, Shrum said Wednesday. The search area generally is east of the nearby Grundy Forest State Natural Area at South Cumberland State Park and Fiery Gizzard Recreation Area along the county line around the Raven Point Road area.
"We've searched the area with the [Tennessee Highway Patrol] helicopter and search dog teams," Shrum said Wednesday. "The TBI will join the case today."
Day was last seen Friday riding a tan Honda Recon 250 in an area near the Grundy-Marion county line near where search efforts are focused now, Grundy officials said. Park rangers from a couple of nearby Tennessee state parks aided in the search over the weekend, and Williamson County and Franklin County authorities sent tracking dogs to help. The Williamson County search dogs tracked a scent Tuesday, but the trail was lost, officials said.
Marion County Emergency Management Agency director Steve Lamb, who participated in search efforts Sunday, said Wednesday that Marion County officials "are available, if needed, as the search for Josh Day continues."
DeAnne Engdahl Hittinger, identifying herself on the Grundy County Sheriff's Office's social media page as a member of Day's family, urged people to keep looking and expressed gratitude Tuesday for officials and volunteers who have searched or voiced their support for the Day family.
"The family is overwhelmed by the love and support you all have shown," Hittinger wrote. "We are sorry we can't answer every call and text, but knowing people are reaching out is very comforting more than you know.
"We do not know all the volunteers that have spent their time off searching Ravens Point. We do not know all the people who are off searching various 'unofficial' areas looking for Josh," she wrote. "No one expects to be in this situation. The local community here has been amazing. People driving from miles around to help. We want to say thank you and keep your eyes open. He is out there somewhere and we want to bring him home."
Anyone with information on Josh Day's whereabouts or disappearance is urged to contact the Grundy County Sheriff's Office at 931-692-3466 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND (1-800-824-3463).
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.