Police Ask for Help as Search for NH Man Continues

DERRY, NH — Updated: Dec. 21, 2016: Derry Police are asking for continued help from the public searching for John Walsh, who has been missing now for more than eight days. In an updated press release, Capt. Vern Thomas of the Derry Police Department noted that police have conducted extensive searches of the area and have not found Walsh or any clues to his whereabouts.

"Detectives have followed up numerous reports of possible sightings locally and as far away as Lowell and Methuen," he stated. "There is no known destination where Mr. Walsh may be headed. There has been extensive commentary on social media that has been helpful in circulating Mr. Walsh’s physical description and photograph. We would like to stress that there have been no credible sightings of Mr. Walsh at this time despite social media comments that may be to the contrary. We urge everyone to be vigilant in helping us locate Jack and not restrict their observations to a particular neighborhood."

The previous post is below.

Police in Derry have alerted the media about an update to a missing person case involving a 63-year-old New Hampshire man who has not been seen for nearly a week. John “Jack” Walsh, 63, a resident of the Pleasant Valley Nursing Center in Derry, walked away from the Parkland Medical Center at around 1 p.m. on Dec. 13, 2016, prior to receiving treatment at the facility, according to Capt. Vern Thomas of the Derry Police Department.

Walsh was last seen walking on foot on Birch Street toward Windham. At the time, he was wearing a brown leather jacket, gray T-shirt, and blue jeans. He is about 6 feet tall and weighs around 140 lbs. He was unshaven on Tuesday so probably has noticeable facial hair at this time.

“Mr. Walsh’s family is concerned for his safety and has requested the assistance of the public in locating him,” Thomas noted in a statement at the time the search began.

In the first 30 hours of the search, police conducted an extensive search around the medical center and surrounding areas, including businesses and wooded areas, but he was not located. Walsh, according to his family, “has gone on long walks in the past and ended up in various parts of the state.”

Thomas noted on Dec. 19, that there had been “numerous sightings” of Walsh in various locations – including hitchhiking in Vermont – but none of the sightings have been confirmed as him. A Facebook site has been set up to communicate with people but police are asking for tips to be submitted directly to law enforcement.

“His information has been posted on social media sites that hopefully will reach further,” Thomas said. “It is important that information is provided to us directly rather than added to social media. We need to follow it up immediately and have the ability to converse with reporting persons for additional specifics to determine the veracity of the sighting. We are hopeful that with the public’s help that we locate Mr. Walsh and return him to a safe environment.”

Anyone who sees Walsh or someone who looks like him should call the Derry Police Department at 603-432-6111.