MASSAC COUNTY, IL (KFVS) - The search for a missing 79-year-old man in Massac County stretches into its 17th day.
According to the Massac County Sheriff’s Office, Raphael “Ray” Taliaferro was last seen on November 10, 2018 near the Mellow Mushroom restaurant in Paducah.
He and his wife were in the Heartland to look at some family property near Brookport, Illinois.
That’s why the Massac County Sheriff’s Office is leading the search.
Deputies were looking for Taliaferro on foot on Wednesday, Nov. 28 in the areas near where his car was found parked.
Massac County Sheriff Ted Holder says he may have left the area and could be making his way back to California. Sheriff Holder says his office has reached out the FBI field offices in Marion and San Francisco for help in the search.
He is described as 5′10″ tall, 180 pounds, light black skin, with white/grey hair and a mustache.
He was last seen wearing a black leather jacket, black turtleneck and black pants.
His wife, Charlotte Crawford, said he has “forgetful spells”.
Bob Butler, the past National President of National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), is a long-time friend of Taliaferro.
“He’s one of those people that when you think of Bay area talk radio and you mentioned the name Ray Taliaferro people know who you are talking about because everyone used to listen to him at one time or another," he said.
Butler went through his accolades back in San Francisco.
“He was former President of the NAACP here, former Board President of the Leukemia Society," he said. "I mean very accomplished man. The fact that we don’t know where he is , is very troubling to a lot of us here in the Bay area.”
Massac County Sheriff Ted Holder says Taliaferro’s wife reported him missing 17-days-ago.
“It is a concern especially for somebody his age, if he has no phone or credit cards to get around. he’s got cash,” said Holder.
Six days later on Friday, Nov. 16, the Sheriff’s office received more information.
On that Wednesday, the Independence Bank noticed the car. They reported it on that Friday.
Sheriff Holder explained Taliaferro’s last whereabouts.
“It appears now he was seen at the bank across from the Mellow Mushroom, talked to some people in the bank. He went to the Mellow Mushroom and talked to some people," Holder said. "Then probably the last person that actually saw him that we know of right now is Mr. Henry at the West End Baptist Church.”
Brian Henry is the Director of Music at the church that a half of a mile from the Mellow Mushroom.
He explained Taliaferro went to the front white doors of the church on 28th Street first. Henry directed him to the back because he did not have the key.
“My wife and I were here at the church working when a gentleman came to the back door here and knocked on the door," Henry said. “It’s not unusual for someone to come by when cars are here, so I let him and he introduced himself as Ray Taliaferro, and proceeded to tell me his life story. He kept repeating ... ‘I’ve lived a very interesting life,' he’s said that several times.”
Taliaferro was also in nice clothes and was “well-kept”, Henry said.
The former radio host stayed and talked for about 15 minutes, according to Henry.
Butler said he believes Taliaferro’s actions to be very unusual.
“Even the friends he has here [in San Francisco] would say that would be very uncharacteristic of Ray," Butler said. "Whenever he would do something he would want people to know about it. Everyone here is hoping that he is fine and he’s going to show up one day because to think otherwise we don’t even want to think about that.”
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