The family of a missing and vulnerable Cody man is asking for the public’s help in finding him.
David Kelsey, 50, was last seen around 11 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23 at his home on Central Avenue in Cody near the Yellowstone Regional Airport.
He is believed to have left on foot at some point Friday evening between 11 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. when the overnight temperatures dipped below freezing.
Kelsey’s wife, Heather Goldsby, said that local law enforcement has conducted several searches since he’s been reported missing with no trace of him thus far, but search efforts continued Tuesday.
It’s presumed he left with his cell phone and wallet, Goldsby said, because she can’t find them in the house. But she said he hasn’t answered calls and there’s been no activity on his bank account since Thursday.
This behavior is very out of character for her husband, she said, and he’s never disappeared in the past for any length of time.
She described Kelsey as a very loving, family-oriented man with a tight group of close friends who enjoys staying close to home.
All of his friends and family are understandably worried, she said.
“Everybody we know if out looking, driving and searching for him,” she told Cowboy State Daily early Tuesday morning.
Drones Out Tuesday
Bill Dohse, owner of Find-911, a private investigation and search company that specializes in locating missing people with canines and specialized drones, was on his way Tuesday morning to search the area with drones and a human cadaver dog.
Dohse attempted Monday to use scent tracking dogs to locate Kelsey and the route he might have taken after leaving his home but was called off due to fierce winds and inclement weather.
This morning, Dohse told Cowboy State Daily he plans to fly his drones near the house and airport and surrounding Beck Lake area using specialized tactical search software to look for any trace of Kelsey.
“The winds and attempts got the best of us yesterday, but we plan to do some drone flights and then analyze the imagery,” Dohse said. “If we don’t see it with our naked eye, we will with the software.”
Police: Check Security Cameras
The Park County Search and Rescue also had team members canvassing the Cody area Tuesday in search of Kelsey, said Monte McClain, communications supervisor for the sheriff’s office.
Cody Police Department spokesperson, Juston Wead, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a post on the Cody Police Department Facebook page, they are asking for home and business owners in the area to check their security cameras for footage of Kelsey and to check all of their outbuildings, sheds, garage, basements and other seldom-used areas for places where a person might seek shelter or rest.
Kelsey is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall with light brown hair, blue eyes and a short-cropped gray beard and eyeglasses. He may be wearing reddish-orange tennis shoes, a green coat and plaid button-up shirt.
Kelsey also walks with a distinctive gait as a result of an autoimmune condition.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cody Police Department at 307-527-8700 or the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation at 307-777-7181.
Jen Kocher can be reached at jen@cowboystatedaily.com.
