Florida authorities are asking residents to search wooded areas in their neighborhoods for signs of a priest who vanished a week ago.
Father Rene Robert of St. Augustine, Florida, was last seen on April 10, police said.
Church officials notified the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office after the 71-year-old missed a scheduled function, which is unlike him.
No one has heard from him since, and foul play is suspected, police said.
Authorities are urging residents near two interstate highways in Duval County to be on the alert.
Those with surveillance equipment should review footage from the night he disappeared, and report anything suspicious.
“Check their property thoroughly, including wooded areas and around bodies of water,” the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Saturday.
“Call police if anything is found that looks suspicious. Do not touch or tamper with anything located.”
Any disturbed grounds or unusual smells should also be reported, authorities said.
Both the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office are conducting searches in Jacksonville’s Westside, the statement said.