Information is still scarce in the search for a man missing from Magnolia since late February.
Magnolia Police Chief Sonya Woodall told town board members Tuesday that the investigation into Randall K. “Chip” Monk’s disappearance has yielded nothing helpful in locating him.
“We’ve asked for help from the sheriff’s department and the state police,” Woodall said.
None of the departments have been able to turn up any new information so far, she said.
She said attempts to trace his Apple wearable device had proven fruitless so far, as well.
“The company won’t cooperate,” she said. “They said they couldn’t provide any information unless we could provide proof he was dead. If we had proof he was dead, we’d know where he was.”
Woodall said Monk’s bank records have been subpoenaed, but the department has not received the records yet.
Monk’s sister Roselyn told board members her brother is diabetic and without his medications. His mood when she last saw him was “unsettling.”
“He was having hallucinations, walking around in the yard,” Roselyn Monk said. “I called Magnolia police three times for help. I found a letter after he disappeared that claimed a hitman was after him.”
Monk told the board she believed the police department could be doing more to find her brother, even if they are now “overworked or understaffed.”
She said several calls to the detective on her brother’s case had gone unanswered and unreturned.
“Please, I’m begging you for help,” Monk told the board.
Mayor Tammy Witherspoon offered Monk “condolences and deepest prayers” for her missing brother, but neither she nor any board members attempted to pressure Woodall about the case during the board meeting. Monk seemed frustrated as she left in tears.
After having had a homicide committed in February Magnolia had less serious offenses to respond to in March.
Among the 244 incidents in March were 14 auto accidents, 31 disturbances, seven instances of property damage, nine medical emergencies and 69 traffic stops that yielded 33 citations.
Activity by the fire department was down in March, Chief Terrell Bell said, with six woods fires, a house fire and a car fire.
Three burn permits were issued in March, though a burn ban is still in effect.
“We need some rain,” Bell said. “Hopefully this weather recently is going to help.”
Board members voted during the meeting to extend the burn ban to April 30.
