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Search continues for missing Dawsonville man
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A local family is pleading for answers as authorities continue to pursue leads in the search for a missing Dawsonville man.

Quinton "Jimmy" Walls, 50, was last heard from the night of June 6 when he called his daughter.

His mother, Gracie Lou Walls, said the two had talked about meeting at church the next morning, but Jimmy Walls never showed up.

"When his daughter called, it went straight to voicemail and that's where it's been going since then," she said June 17, during a press conference at the Dawson County Law Enforcement Center.

Sheriff's Capt. Tony Wooten confirmed that his office is actively investigating Jimmy Walls' disappearance as a missing person case, though they have no indication that a crime has taken place.

"There were no signs of foul play in or around the vehicle located in Dawson Forest," Wooten said.

Gracie Lou Walls said she is hopeful that speaking publically about her son's disappearance could generate new leads in the case.

"I just want him to come home," she said.

The family has returned to the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area every day since the truck he was driving was found there the evening of June 8.

"I've been over there every day except one day. I just feel like I have to get in that car and go," his mother said.

The truck was found near the horse trailer parking lot in the management area off Dawson Forest Road. Campers believe they saw him in the area sometime between late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, according to Wooten.

Authorities also found a red polo-style shirt, which Gracie Lou Walls claims belongs to her son.

"I do his laundry. I know he has a shirt like that and I know it's not here," she said.

Gracie Lou Walls said it's uncharacteristic for her son to stay gone for this long without contacting the family.

"He'd go off and maybe stay two nights somewhere, but never more than three, and this is nearly two weeks," she said.

His sister Lavon Waite added: "But even when he'd go off a couple of nights, he would be in contact with at least his daughters and with Mama, so she'd know where he was. It's not like him to be gone a week without any contact with any family member."

His nephew Lance Walls said the family is appreciative of the community's support in the effort to help locate his uncle.

"There's been tons of phone calls and people swinging by, just checking in. The sheriff's department has done a great job of keeping us informed and out there," he said.

He described his uncle as a caring and compassionate man that is quick to offer help to those in need.

"He's a really good person. [He'd do] anything that he could do to help us and really anyone," he said.

Dawson County Emergency Services Chief Lanier Swafford said crews continue to conduct searches of the wildlife management area.

"While [we] can't go through what the family's going through, it hurts us that we can't give them what they are looking for right now, and that's getting Jimmy back," he said. "We're going to continue to try every day and work in partnership to make sure that every day something is being done to continue the effort."

K9 units trained in body recovery, a horse-mounted rescue unit and foot crews have covered a more than 10-mile radius from where the truck was located, according to Deputy Chief Tim Satterfield.

"[The Department of Natural Resources] also put a helicopter in the air on Friday and flew over, looking for signs of a campfire or a flashlight," Satterfield said.

Cadaver dogs also searched the perimeter of a pond, but "showed no interested at all in the water."

"We searched the pond... We were there until after 8 p.m.," Satterfield said. "The pond is pretty shallow, as low as two feet deep in some spots, and you can see grass growing from the bottom."

Additionally, two paramedics took a canoe to the Etowah River put-in on Hwy. 9 South and floated to Kelly Bridge Road to check the riverbanks, still to no avail.

Jimmy Walls is described as 5'9" and weighs about 165 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes.

His family said he was wearing blue jeans and a checkered shirt when they last saw him.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at (706) 344-3636.