Lincoln police, family continue to ask for the public's help to find missing man

Apr. 13—The Lincoln Police Department and a missing Lincoln man's family continue to ask the public for assistance in searching for him.

LPD is conducting an ongoing search for 28-year-old Joshua Martin, who went missing April 5 at about 1:30 p.m. Martin's aunt, Kary Tronson, appeared with LPD Capt. Don Scheinost at a Friday morning news conference to ask the Lincoln community for help in finding him.

"Unfortunately, at this point, we have no solid information on where Joshua may be," Scheinost said. "We have checked hospitals and other areas and continue to follow up on citizen tips."

Martin was last seen at Integrated Behavioral Health Services, a mental health service facility, at 1430 South St., where he was receiving treatment. Staff there called to report Martin was missing.

Martin has schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder, police said. He functions at the level of a young child, according to Martin's family.

He was last seen wearing a red T-shirt and black shorts with a gray stripe. He is 5-foot-11, weighs about 200 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes.

LPD has used drones to check areas where tips have said he could possibly be and has enlisted the help of the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, Nebraska State Patrol and the UNL Police Department.

Officers also have checked parks and other places they believe he may visit.

LPD is planning to send officers up in the State Patrol helicopter to search some areas in west and east Lincoln.

Scheinost said there is no footage of Martin leaving the facility, so no one knows what direction he went.

Tronson implored Lincoln residents to check their sheds or a place where they think someone may hide and to check their camera footage from last weekend in hopes there is a sighting of Martin.

"You don't think looking will produce anything, but you never know. It may be that needle in the haystack we need found," Tronson said.

The family is hosting search parties Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at 8700 Andermatt Drive in Lincoln.

Tronson said the family believes Martin may be hiding because he does not want to return to the group home. Martin told the family he disliked the facility.

"Josh is a gentle soul and an old soul," Tronson said. She described him as a fan of the arts and said he enjoys music from the '50s, '60s and '70s.

Martin had left the facility before, and Tronson asked why it was not monitoring him better knowing the flight risk he posed.

"It's kind of frustrating why my sister and her family wasn't let known he had left the facility before, and why it was the Lincoln Police Department that had to call my sister to let her know, hours after him leaving," she added.

LPD said the address for Integrated Behavioral Health Services has had 64 calls for missing persons since January 2021. It is not known if all the calls were related to people being treated at the facility.

When contacted on Friday, an employee at the company said they could not comment on Martin or his disappearance.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7254 or avargas@journalstar.com.

On Twitter @Alex_Vargas1994

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