The search continues for a man last seen disoriented, covered in mud and barefoot.
Robert Nylen is a white male from the Lowell/Ada area, 62 years old, 6 feet tall, and has a slim build and light, blond hair. Authorities said he is going through a life change and therefore been acting emotionally erratic lately.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Department Marine Patrol on Monday searched the Grand River between Ionia and W. River Drive in Plainfield Township.
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Some of Nylen’s friends also searched along the riverbank Monday.
Nylen was last seen around 8 p.m. Saturday at a party store on M-21 in Lowell, police said, and may have crossed the river in a kayak, which he has often done. The Sheriff’s Department confirms a tipster reported seeing a man, matching Nylen’s description, walking on nearby Grand River Drive.
Before this sighting, police received calls around 3 p.m. of a man dodging in and out of traffic. This person was later identified as Nylen. He was then seen walking toward a nearby wooded, swampy area.
The official police search began around noon Sunday after a friend reported Nylen missing when he never arrived home.
“We did not get the missing person report until today,” Sgt. Raymond said Sunday afternoon. “When we put together that this individual that was running in and out of traffic, that elevated our concerns because of that type of behavior.”
A Kent County Sheriff’s Department search and rescue team looked for Nylen for hours Sunday. A command post was set up near Buttrick Avenue. The area that the team searched is made up of a mix of subdivisions and wooded and swampy areas near and along the Grand River.
A police K-9 unit followed a scent into the river in Lowell, Sgt. Raymond said. A still-wet pair of shoes were found in that area. Later in the evening, a family member confirmed the shoes belonged to Nylen.
Authorities said Sunday they have not yet given up hope that Nylen is alive and are still considering this a rescue mission.
The ground search for Nylen will continue Monday morning. K-9 teams will focus on the north side of the Grand River. Authorities may decide to search the Grand River from a KCSD boat.
Anyone with information is asked to contact KCSD at 616.632.6100
