Mother to teen missing since crash: 'Please call someone'
Authorities searched for Nathan Tracy in Pittsfield Township Friday afternoon.
Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com
Mishelle Tracy has a message for her missing 19-year-old son, Nathan, who may be too afraid to turn himself in after fleeing from a car crash in Pittsfield Township Wednesday: call someone.
"Nathan, we love you unconditionally," she told AnnArbor.com by phone from the area near the Valley Ranch Apartments where police were continuing the search Friday around 2:30 p.m. "Please call us and we'll help you figure out everything. Your family and friends only care about you. Our hearts can only heal with your safe return. Please call someone."
Mishelle hasn't heard from her son since Wednesday. She said that after a family dinner at their home in Trenton, Nathan, a second-year engineering student at Henry Ford Community College, drove to Ann Arbor to see some friends.
"That was the last time I saw my son," Mishelle said.
Nathan Tracy
Courtesy of Pittsfield police.
He was last seen wearing a blue tank top, shorts and deck shoes, according to Pittsfield police.
"Nathan is a very social kid with lots of friends," Mishelle said.
Many of his friends and family -- including one brother and one sister -- have been helping out with a search of a wide swath of territory centered around the Valley Ranch Apartments.
As of 2:30 p.m., a state police helicopter had completed a search of the area with negative results, said Pittsfield Public Safety Director Matt Harshberger. Three K-9 units were combing the area and bloodhounds were just getting started.
"We've done a pretty thorough search. So far, we've turned up nothing," Harshberger said. There are several retention ponds in the area the dive team from the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office are scheduled to search tomorrow. Police are checking with businesses in the area to see if there is any security camera footage of Nathan that night.
The search will conclude when police are fairly certain Nathan is not in the area, but the investigation will continue, Harshberger said.
Updated at 8:15 p.m.: Harshberger confirmed dogs did pick up a track, but that search operations were called off.
"The last track we had was him following I-94 eastbound along the highway, pretty much up to State Street where we believe he cut across the highway to go back into Ann Arbor," Harshberger said. "Based on how long the track was, we believe physically he is OK enough to be able to do that. We think that he is in pretty decent physical shape."
Police are not going to continue the search tomorrow, but the investigation continues. Since Tracy is believed to have crossed over into Ann Arbor, Pittsfield police have contacted the Ann Arbor Police Department, who will check businesses north of I-94, Harshberger said.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
5travellers
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 5:32 p.m.
Nathan, if you're reading this, please call your family or someone. I don't know you or your family. But no matter how much trouble that you think you might be in, your mother's heartache right now at not knowing where you are or if you're okay is more enormous than any consequence that you think you may be facing. I'm a mother, and I would be sick to my stomach with worry. Please call her. No one is perfect. We've all made mistakes.....even us parents. Please pick up a phone if you can, and call her. Please don't let her go to bed again tonight not knowing where you are. :-)
Liliana Holtzman
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 11:41 a.m.
My heart goes out to this family, to this mother.
Ann23
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:48 a.m.
Just a general comment on a situation where someone disappeared from the scene of a crash, not implying that this is the case with this boy because there could be many other explanations, but I know of a case where a man hit a tree on the side of the road while drunk. He fled the scene. His friends told the police that he had gone to the hospital because his head hit the windshield in the crash (he didn't but, it did). The man went into hiding for a short time and the vehicle was impounded but, that was it. No repercussions besides the impounding. It seems that if the driver can give a reasonable reason for leaving the scene, whether it is true or not, that may be the end of it. Having an attorney doesn't hurt either. I'm not saying this is a good thing.
music to my ear
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 12:45 p.m.
I knew in my gut feeling if you would see my other comments I figured he was under the influence and that is why he was and still is hiding it is probably something stronger than booze. I wanted to give the benafit of a doubt, I hear now on the news the police suspect he was under the influence thank god no one was hurt, the parents can talk and to him and get him some help when he shows up. alot of people run for that reason less charges all the kids know running is always an option.
widmer
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 12:59 a.m.
"He was last seen wearing a blue tank top..." Are you completely sure about this?
Kyle Mattson
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 4:31 a.m.
widmer- That is the information Pittsfield has provided at this time we will update if that changes.
Smileei
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 9:51 p.m.
He was seen walking from the scene then he began running NB. He had to have some type of injuries from what the scene told according to a couple witnesses. Pretty horrific.
PrevoTownie
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 12:21 a.m.
"northbound"
Georgia Luke
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 12:12 a.m.
What does "NB" mean? Are you saying there was blood at the scene? I certainly hope they find him soon!
Billy
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 8:31 p.m.
Ok no....I'm just gonna say what no one wants to..... I hope he didn't run off while injured and in shock after the accident.....that's not a good thing to do....
jns131
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:24 p.m.
Shock does a lot of funny things to people. I remember I went into shock and blacked out. Ended up with smelling salts but still, you do loose quite a bit of time. I really hope he is found.
Farmer_John
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 10:49 p.m.
Not the case. the entrance Ts before the carport the kid drove through. He crossed 100 or so feet of sidewalk and lawn before he hit the carport, then the truck. It sounded like someone picked up the dumpster and tossed it across the parking lot. PLus, it was on private property. The road commision had no effect...
Nunya
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 10 p.m.
He probably crashed because the washtenaw county road commission didnt care for roads
justcurious
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 9:13 p.m.
To me, the best scenario would be that he was scared of getting in big trouble for the accident and just decided to hide out. It is not unheard of that this will occur. There have been recent stories on here of missing young folks that were found safe days later.
music to my ear
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 9:05 p.m.
I am wondering if he did get hurt did he feel it , that is why? I wonder why he ran.
music to my ear
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 8:07 p.m.
if he hit a parked truck, and had no out standings warrants maybe a little scared, what or why did he feel the need to run .the parents could use this as a forum to talk to him about some issues he may have. he will turn up. he needs to wait it out for some reason. think positive, good luck.
Ann English
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 11:59 p.m.
I've always understood "hit-and-run" to include another driver or passenger in the other car getting hurt or killed. Until now. Could it be that his car ISN'T insured? It isn't too late to purchase insurance. There'll be a fine to pay, but no jail sentence for driving uninsured.
justcurious
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 8:06 p.m.
Is it possible that he got into a car with one of his friends and left the area, or went to a friend's house nearby?
Nunya
Sat, Sep 8, 2012 : 2:39 a.m.
Or it could have been the road commission.
justcurious
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 9:10 p.m.
Yes, but there could have been someone in another car following him when it happened, or someone who left the same time he did from wherever he was visiting. I'm sure the authorities are looking into all of the angles though.
Billy
Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 8:33 p.m.
Possibly if they were caravaning somewhere...but it says his cellphone was recovered in the car so he didn't really have the option to call a friend.