Police seek missing man

CROTHERSVILLE — The search for a 50-year-old Austin man missing for a week continued Tuesday in several locations, including southeastern Jackson County.

“The Jackson County Posse was out looking for him yesterday (Monday),” Hugh Pasley said of the search for his half brother, Paul Graupe.

The posse, including horses and four-wheelers, also went out again Tuesday and spent most of their day looking for signs of Graupe in an isolated area in the far southeastern part of Jackson County. A cadaver dog, belonging to former Jackson County resident Shari Newcomer, also joined the search in an area east of Bethany Road (County Road 1025 East) and just north of Indiana 256.

“We became involved on Monday when Austin police called and asked if a couple of posse members could come out and help search,” Jackson County Sheriff Marc Lahrman said.

Since then, he said, investigators with his department have been trying to gather evidence to determine what may have happened to Graupe.

Pasley said Graupe was last seen a week ago on Tuesday when he left his house to try to collect a debt from a former co-worker. Graupe, a 1978 graduate of Crothersville High School, planned to go to work at Morgan Packing Co. in Austin after stopping by the former co-worker’s residence but never made it. He was last seen in the area of Main and Sixth streets in Austin.

Police later tracked his cell phone signal to an area about seven miles west of Austin in the bottoms of Jackson County, Pasley said. The phone has not been located.

Lahrman said the area defined by the cell phone signal before it went dead is a pretty large one, making any search hard.

“They’ve obtained a warrant for his (Graupe’s) telephone records and that may make it easier to pinpoint” Lahrman said.

Pasley said his half brother is a kind-hearted person who never hesitated to help anyone. Graupe also has never been married, has no children and doesn’t drive, Pasley said.

Pasley is from Crothersville but said he was living with Graupe while he is having a new home built.

Anyone with information about Graupe’s disappearance may contact Austin Police Department at (812) 794-2496 or the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department at 358-2141.

Pasley described Graupe as standing about 5 feet 7 inches and weighing about 160 pounds with brown hair and wire-rim glasses. He said he usually wears a camouflage baseball cap and shirt.

Whom to call

Anyone with information about Graupe’s disappearance may contact Austin Police Department at (812) 794-2496 or the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department at 358-2141.