Large-scale search planned for where south Georgia father went missing

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Roughly 100 volunteers plan to conduct the first-ever grid search in the area where Brandon Helms went missing in 2015.

The Thomasville father vanished from his best friend’s home in Lanier County shortly before Christmas. Interest in the case was reinvigorated after it was featured in reporter Katie Kaplan’s ‘Unsolved Series’ on WCTV in July.

Brandon Helms, 42, vanished on December 14, 2015. Some believe it was suicide, but his body has... — Brandon Helms, 42, vanished on December 14, 2015. Some believe it was suicide, but his body has never been found. In 2022, investigators announced they were reactivating the case.(WCTV)

An estimated 100-people are expected to turn out and the family said they are hoping public awareness will encourage even more people to show up.

“It’s heart-wrenching. Honestly, it’s just been a disaster and we really just want the community to rally around this search, and do what they can to help because this is the last place he was seen,” said Brandon’s cousin Vivian Knipfer. “It’s been almost seven years and we have to have a resolution at some point. We have got to find an answer to what happened, where is Brandon?”

Knipfer has also established a Facebook page dedicated to raising awareness about Brandon’s case.

Search and rescue dogs were called out to the home where Brandon was staying on the day he went missing, but it was a rainy day and they could not find a scent beyond the property. The home was only visually inspected by Sheriff’s deputies and not forensically searched by a crime scene team for roughly three years, said investigators. The surrounding land has never been part of a grid search.

Brandon Helms, of Thomasville, vanished from a Lanier County home in 2015. Roughly 100... — Brandon Helms, of Thomasville, vanished from a Lanier County home in 2015. Roughly 100 volunteers plan to conduct the first-ever grid search in the area where Brandon Helms went missing in 2015.(WCTV)

The group will meet at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022 at the Lanier County Courthouse located at 56 West Main Street in Lakeland, GA. Anyone planning to attend should wear a bright orange shirt or vest. Since Brandon disappeared with his keys, metal detectors are encouraged. It will be led by the former lead investigator on Brandon’s case.

The collective search party will leave the courthouse by 9:15 a.m. and head to the search site, an area in the vicinity of the address Brandon was last seen and that consists of mostly farmland. Drinks and snacks will be provided.

If you plan on attending, please RSVP via the Facebook page so organizers can get an accurate headcount.

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