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Family and friends are organizing a search Saturday for a 28-year-old Jerseyville man and single father who hasn't been seen since last week.
Jared Hanna last was seen on Saturday, July 2. No one in his family or any of his friends has heard from him since his disappearance and they are concerned.
"It isn't like my brother to just disappear," Heather Hanna said.
Heather Hanna said that her brother is a dedicated father and responsible when it comes to work. She said that she watched his daughters whenever he would be on a job and, because he had full custody, she knows he wouldn't just leave without any notice.
"We're just really worried, and we want him home," she said.
Family and friends are organizing a search in Clinton County on Saturday in the area where the truck - a white 1990 GMC Sierra - that Jared Hanna had been driving was found parked along Jolliff Bridge Road, between Sandoval and Centralia this past weekend.
The Clinton County Sheriff's Department started looking into the vehicle as possibly being abandoned or stolen on Tuesday following the Fourth of July holiday after a deputy noticed it parked in the same spot for more than a day. After making contact with the vehicle's owner, who happened to be Hanna's mother, authorities learned that the father of two girls, ages 3 and 6, was missing.
The Jersey County Sheriff's Department is investigating the case, looking into the reports that Hanna last was seen in two Alton bars that Saturday night - The Big Muddy Pub, 204 State St., and Norb's Tavern, 2505 State St. Investigators have been in the establishments at least twice since the family first reported him missing.
Jersey County Sheriff Mark Kallal said detectives learned that the last time Hanna used his cell phone was Saturday night. The sheriff said detectives didn't have a lot of leads, and the investigation will be more difficult as more time passes.
A bartender at Norb's said Friday that investigators have been in twice to ask about Hanna's whereabouts on the night he disappeared. He said several patrons have said they saw him but couldn't say for sure what night it was.
Investigators are trying to establish a timeline on Hanna and the information about when and where he last was seen.
Heather Hanna said they learned the reason the truck was parked on the country road was that it had run out of gas. She said there have been reports that someone matching her brother's description was seen walking in the area late Saturday night or early Sunday, perhaps heading somewhere to make a call.
"We just don't know," Hanna said.
Earlier this week, his family started a Facebook group "Help Find Jared Hanna," and more than 800 people have joined, including residents near where Hanna last was seen.
Heather Hanna said that she has been able to learn quite a bit about the area from people joining the group and from those offering their assistance to help search for her brother, including from those who don't even know him.
"We're amazed by all the help we've got in trying to find my brother," she said.
A caravan of people is set to leave at 4 a.m. Saturday from the parking lot of the Jersey County Health Department. They will travel to the Centralia Walmart, where they will meet up with other search and rescue volunteers by 5:30 a.m.
"So far, we are expected around 100 volunteers," Heather Hanna said.
She commended a family friend, Tracy Fox, for helping organize the search.
A command center will be set up on Felton Road near where the truck was found, she said.
"Anyone helping with the search will be asked to check in and out," she said. "We want to know who is out there so that we can keep track of them and make sure nothing happens to them, as well."
She said some rescuers also will be on horseback.
"There is a convoy of trailers expected to be there early," she said.
Hanna's mother and stepfather, Pat and Gerry New, are planning to be involved in the search. There are many in the emergency services field who are planning to help because of the News.
Gerry New is a paramedic with Alton Memorial Ambulance Co. and the chief of QEM Fire Protection District in Jersey County. Pat New works for the Jersey County Sheriff's Department.
Family and friends have posted missing posters all over Clinton, Jersey and Madison counties, hoping someone will see them and come forward with information that may help find Jared Hanna.
In addition to his photo on the poster, Hanna is described as being about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 195 pounds. He last was seen wearing a dark blue T-shirt and blue jeans and possibly a black-and-white hat.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Jared Hanna, you're asked to call the Jersey County Sheriff's Department at (618) 498-6681 or your local law enforcement.
Heather Hanna said people can call or leave messages on the Facebook wall of the group if they have any questions.
"All we want to do is find my brother," she said.