Reward offered for information on missing Cleveland man
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A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the location of a missing Cleveland man whose truck was found last month near I-85 exit 177 at the north edge of Hart County.
The family of 36-year old Douglas Cordell Barnes is offering the reward.
Barnes, who is known by his middle name, Cordell, was last seen on July 19 at his home in White County.
Hart County Sheriff Investigator Chris Carroll said Barnes’ gold Ford F-150 Crew Cab was located in Hart County on July 29 parked on the side of Highway 59 near Providence Church Road, also known as GA77, which is a main route into Hartwell from counties to the north of Interstate 85.
Carroll told WNEG’s sister station WLHR that the truck had actually been seen there as early as July 21, but at that time. Barnes had not been reported missing.
Cordell’s mother, Debbie Barnes, as well as his sister, father and others, drove to Georgia from Tulsa Oklahoma to search for him.
They and a group of volunteers spent this past weekend searching for the missing man in the area where his pickup was found.
Debbie Barnes said she last spoke to her son on her birthday, July 13.
At the time, he told her he was planning to go camping, but she said he always camped in and around the Helen area, and had no reason to be in Hart County.
When deputies found the truck, it was stuck in a ravine.
Barnes said her son would not have let that happen, or would have known how to get it out.
She said when Cordell’s dad picked up the truck, all of Cordell’s camping equipment was still inside.
Barnes added that one of her son’s three guns is missing and, since his disappearance, his cell phone has pinged in another location, nowhere near where his truck was found, which is why the family suspects foul play.
The family is returning to Tulsa, and Barnes is asking for anyone who might know where her son is to call the GBI tip-line.
Debbie Barnes also thanked everyone who has volunteered their time and services in the search for her son.
Cordell Barnes is described as a 36-year-old white male standing 5’8″ tall and weighing 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing jeans and a t-shirt and normally always wears a camouflage baseball cap.
Anyone with information on the man’s whereabouts should contact the Hart County Sheriff’s Office at (706) 376-3114 or the White County Sheriff’s Office at 706-865-5177. Callers may remain anonymous.