Groups of volunteers continue to search alongside police for a man who went missing in late January near Owen Sound, Ont., covering land on foot, and using drones for a view of the conservation area where his car was found.

James Van-Veen, 64, was reported missing on Jan. 26 when he didn’t show up for work that morning. His vehicle was located in the parking lot at Inglis Falls around 11 a.m., far from his workplace in Desboro.

“It was a routine morning. He left for work, but sometime later work contacted his family stating he didn’t show up,” Nick Oldreive said.

He’s the executive director of Please Bring Me Home, a group that’s dedicated weekends to searching the area. Dozens of people have shown up to help, including this past Sunday.

“We don’t know if he fell in the water, we don’t know if he got disoriented walking on the trail system, we don’t know if he fell down a crevice. The reality is we just really don’t know,” Oldrieve said.

Following the discovery of his vehicle, OPP were notified and have also been involved in the search bringing in their helicopter to sweep the Sydenham River system.

According to Oldreive, Inglis Falls has a special place in Van-Veen’s heart. It’s where he was married, and a place near home that he visits regularly. No one knows however, if early morning visits to the conservation were a normal part of Van-Veen’s schedule.

The search so far

Possible clues as to where he went after parking the vehicle were quickly destroyed, as a snow plow cleared the lot hours before his vehicle was found, removing bootprints that could’ve helped the search.

“We’ve covered the river system all the way from Grey Road 18 behind Inglis Falls, and then all the way down to Harrison Park [just south of Owen Sound],” Oldrieve said. “People are walking on both sides of the river looking for any type of evidence that could have washed to the sides.”

Volunteers have also searched all of the nearby trail systems, woods and ditches, and brought in high resolution drones.

“As that water speed picks up, we have to continue moving downriver. We’re really covering from Grey Road 18 all the way up to the boat launch at the Bayshore Arena [in Owen Sound],” Oldrieve said.

He said the next volunteer search party is planned for March 29 when it’s anticipated that more snow will have melted. He said right now, the river is high and moving fast, and the riverbanks are muddy and slippery.

For those looking to help with future searches, Oldrieve said volunteers have to sign up first by emailing search@pleasebringmehome.com.

“We don’t slow down until he’s found,” Oldrieve said. “He’s out there somewhere, we just have to find him.“