A search for a missing Drayton Valley resident has been ongoing since June 22.
Derek Henningsmoen, age 65, was reported missing when his care workers checked in on him and he wasn’t home.
Henningsmoen is a special needs individual, and his niece Danica Sluchinski is concerned about his well being.
“We think that Derek may have had a possible stroke, so he’s likely confused,” says Sluchinski. “He’s had strokes in the past.”
Sluchinski says that Henningsmoen has a mental illness, but isn’t dangerous to anyone. At this moment, they think he is just confused.
She says they believe that he is wandering around the community. They have found pieces of his clothing in different areas of town. “We’ve found his shoes and socks and he’s just kind of been wandering,” she says.
The last time that Henningsmoen was seen was on a surveillance video at the south Petro Canada gas station. Sluchinski says he was headed toward the truck stop at about 3:30 a.m. on June 22.
The concern is that he may have hitched a ride with someone and left the community.
“At this time we believe that a trucker or another driver could have potentially picked him up and taken him to another town,” she says.
The search for Henningsmoen has involved the RCMP, search and rescue, helicopters, drones, dogs and volunteers. All have been combing through the areas they think he most likely would have gravitated to.
Sluchinski says they’ve also checked with the camps for those without homes, but had no luck finding him there.
Several members of the community have volunteered their time to search. She says she hopes that people will look on their property as it’s possible that Henningsmoen is staying in a shed or under a deck unbeknownst to the property owner.
“We are so unbelievably grateful for how well this town pulls together,” she says. “Dan Lemko put [so many] miles on his quad looking for him. It is so heartwarming to see.”
Sluchinski says this type of behaviour is abnormal for her uncle. She’s not sure if he’s living without shelter, or perhaps someone has taken him in. “We’re at the point where we think anything is possible right now,” she says.
