Sheriff’s Office Searching for Missing “At Risk” Amish Man in Southern Illinois
Reports are coming out over the past hour that authorities in deep southern Illinois are asking for help finding a young Amish man who hasn’t been seen since Friday evening.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is searching for 20-year-old Joseph Kaufman, who they’ve classified as an “at risk” missing person. Here are the main details concerning his description via KFVS:
According to the sheriff’s office, 20-year-old Joseph Kaufman, an Amish man, was last seen on County Road 700 E in McLeansboro, Illinois at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 19.
Kaufman is described as a white male with brown hair and blue eyes.
He is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs around 192 lbs.
He was last seen wearing a brown shirt, grey denim pants and black tennis shoes.
Anyone who can provide info on Kaufman’s whereabouts is requested to call 911 or (618) 643-2511.
This young man’s community is known by the local town name of Dale, and lies in the part of Illinois known locally as “Little Egypt,” well south of Arthur, the state’s largest and best-known Amish community. It’s a small settlement of only around 125 people, according to Young Center figures.
The “at risk” designation of course stands out here. The Amish tend to keep well-established routines of coming and going. A young man not returning home is the kind of thing that gets noticed quickly. And at his age, 20, he is in all likelihood still living at home with his parents and siblings.
We saw a similar search play out in Pennsylvania last summer, when a missing Amish man was the subject of a multi-day, multi-agency effort before being found alive and well. Hopefully that will be the same ending here.
Anyone with information on Kaufman’s whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office at (618) 643-2511.
Update: Missing Man Found
Good news, the missing young man has been found.
The update from KFVS is simple – they report that Kaufman was “safely located” on June 20, per the announcement by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
Nor further details are given and I don’t expect will be. In any case it’s good news for all those concerned about his safety.
