The Webster Progress-Times

Between 4 and 4:30 a.m. Monday, James Henry "Bud" Miller became a missing person in the Grady community.

Miller, 69, walked out of his home on Robinson Road and did not return. He is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and has a tendency to have seizures, according to Deputy Sheriff Tim Mitchell.

Miller's niece had seen him leave their home that morning, but his going outside in the mornings was not uncommon, said Mitchell. She fell sleep after he left, and when she woke up again Miller was still gone, the deputy reported. His family, fearful of his safety, called the Webster County Sheriff's Department and the search for Miller began.

Starting around 7 a.m. and throughout the day, Tomnolen, Eupora, Maben, Mathiston, Walthall, Clarkson-Fame and Bellefontaine volunteer fire departments were all called to assist in the search. They persistently searched in the heat for the missing man near his residence in Grady.

Katherine Rosenhan from the Maben VFD brought her German shepherd "Gypsy" early that morning to track Miller's scent. As the search continued into the afternoon, Lt. John Peavy and Richard Dye of the Columbus Police Department brought two more tracking dogs, and Kathy Doty of the Golden Triangle K-9 Unit brought another. In addition, the state Department of Public Safety provided a helicopter and pilot at no charge to aid in the search for Miller.

As the day went on, concerned civilians joined in the search for Miller. About 6:40 p.m. and almost a mile away from his home, Maben Fire Chief Joel Walls came upon Miller on Robinson Road.

A certified firefighter checked Miller out and concluded that, other than being slightly dehydrated, he was in fine physical condition. Mitchell related that the reason Miller left his home early that morning was to go pick blackberries, one of his favorite hobbies.

Shane Box, assistant fire chief at Tomnolen, was in charge of all volunteer firefighters, and Jimmy Forrester, a member of the Tomnolen Volunteer Fire Department, was incident commander. Mitchell was in charge of all law enforcement at the scene and coordinated the arrival of the tracking dogs from Columbus. An estimated 40 volunteer firefighters and eight law enforcement officers assisted in the search-and-rescue effort.

The Tomnolen VFD expressed thanks to Miller's family for the hospitality it showed Monday. Mitchell and the Sheriff's Department expressed a special thanks to the fire departments that spent all day Monday diligently searching for Miller, and to the Mathiston Police Department and the public for all their help in the search.