ELLERBE — A full day of searching for a missing Ellerbe man believed to be “depressed” has concluded with no further evidence on his whereabouts.
Law enforcement Wednesday morning set out on foot and four-wheelers to find Joseph Michael Blake, 51, who changed his name to Sol Vein Zivek several years ago, after initial efforts to locate him failed. Blake was reported missing by his father on Friday.
Major Jay Childers said Blake was last heard from by his family at the end of March. Blake had been depressed following the death of his live-in girlfriend earlier this year, according to Childers. By the end of the day Wednesday, the approximately 45 people, from 12 different agencies, who were part of the search party had found no new evidence in the roughly one square mile area they searched north of the Ellerbe city limit.
“For now, (the search) has ended,” Childers said in a text. “We covered the blocks were were wanting to cover. If we develop any more information we will search more areas at that point.”
Childers said law enforcement do not suspect foul play in Blake’s disappearance. There were no signs of a struggle at his home. Blake is not believed to be armed and is not considered dangerous, according to Childers. Anyone with any information related to Blake’s whereabouts is encouraged to dial 9-1-1 or call the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at (910) 997-8283.
The initial investigation into Blake’s phone and financial records, as well as interviews with family, provided no leads so law enforcement mapped out areas that would be “reasonable” that he could have traveled to without transportation, Childers said. The search area is situated between U.S. 220, Crawford Road, Wall Street and Pressley Rankin Highway and is made up of residential areas, several bodies of water and mostly dense forest.
Emergency Services Director Donna Wright said the search party attempted to use a drone to assist in the search effort Wednesday but the dense trees cast too much shade on the ground for the drone to be effective.
The agencies involved in the search were the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, Richmond County Emergency Services, Ellerbe Fire Department, Ellerbe Rescue Squad, Cordova Fire and Rescue, Hamlet Fire and Rescue, Pineland Search and Rescue, N.C. Emergency Management, Montgomery County Emergency Management, Anson County Emergency Management, Ansonville Fire Department, Aberdeen Fire Department, Moore County Public Safety, Kannapolis Fire Department and the American Red Cross.
Records with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety show that Blake does not have any prior convictions in North Carolina.
