PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Painesville Police are searching for a missing 47-year-old James Urbanick, who was last seen in February.
Friends describe Urbanick as a free spirit who can go weeks without talking to family or friends. But this time he hasn’t come back.
Tim Schierloh and Urbanick have been friends for years.
"I have five children; he watched them all grow up. My kids gave him the name Big Brother James,” said Schierloh.
Schierloh said he saw Urbanick’s vehicle parked on the side of Riverside Drive while driving to see a friend. He didn’t think much of it until weeks later, when he was in the area again.
"On my way home, I noticed his vehicle in the same place and that was alarming to me,” said Schierloh.
That’s when he decided to go to Urbanick’s house. When he got there, he said the mailbox was stuffed with mail, the lights were off, and that’s when he called police.
"It’s unusual for him to be gone this long with the contents he left in the vehicle,” said Painesville Police Lt. Toby Burgett.
Police said his cell phone and keys were inside the unlocked vehicle.
This past weekend, a two-day search with dogs, drones and dozens of people failed to find any clues surrounding Urbanick’s disappearance.
"He does tend to go hiking; he likes to go hiking. It’s not unusual for him to not contact his family for months at a time, which is part of the problem, a complication in this case where the family was not alerted to him being gone,” said Burgett.
Police said they are now working on a timeline and ask that anyone who may have information about James Urbanick call the Painesville Police Department at 440-392-5840.
