Police Search Merrimack River, Woods for Missing Concord Man

During the last few days, the has stepped up its efforts to find a local man who has been missing since the evening of March 15.

20, of Concord, was reportedly last seen near the homeless camps set up along the Merrimack River just north of the on Loudon Road, according to Lt. Timothy O’Malley.

O’Malley said members of Richard’s family and some of his friends “became concerned that they hadn’t seen or heard from him” and contacted the police. On Monday, police began a missing persons investigation and started talking to people who had last seen him. An alert was sent out to media outlets on Tuesday. O’Malley said during the last few days, state agencies and the were brought in to search wooded areas around the city on foot and from the air, as well as searches of the in boats.

“Once we determined where he was last seen, we began to bring others in,” he said.

O’Malley said the brought in a K-9 unit to search the area. A line search – where officials line up and walk an area together, in order to make sure every inch of space is not missed - was conducted on the north section of the Merrimack River between the arena and the Meldrim Thomson state office complex on the Heights. The fire department, New Hampshire Fish & Game, and Marine Patrol, also held boat searches on the Merrimack. The National Guard also offered air patrols of the area, to see if anything could be seen from the sky.

O’Malley said that the extensive searches of the immediate area were precautionary and conducted because Richard left personal items behind. He added, “We have no indication, that we’re aware of, from him or anyone, that he was going anywhere … that’s not to say that he wasn’t, but we have no indication of that.” O’Malley said police have talked to many people who knew Richard and are concerned about where he is. Despite the precautions, Richard’s case is not yet a criminal one, O’Malley noted.

“We not ruling out a crime or any other possibilty,” he said. “We just don’t know.”

Police have also released new photos of Richard from the Shell station on Loudon Road, in the early morning hours on the day he went missing. Police are presuming that he was wearing these clothes when he disappeared.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to call the Concord Regional Crimeline at 603-226-3100.