Champaign Police Continue Search for Man Missing Since Late November

Champaign Police are ruling out some areas in the ongoing search for a resident who's been missing since before Thanksgiving.

49-year old Renard Jackson was last seen riding his bike on an errand near his home in the Garden Hills neighborhood on the afternoon of November 26th. Champaign Lieutenant Joe Gallo says a dive team from the Vermilion County Sheriff's Department eliminated parts of Urbana's Crystal Lake Park from their search Friday, after examining bodies of water with scanning sonar.

And earlier this week, canines searched the Garden Hills area, and an aerial search was conducted with the help of Illinois State Police and the state department of transportation. Gallo says authorities will determine their next step soon.

"We'll obviously have to sit down and regroup, and thinking about what our next steps are going to be," he said. "But we will continue until we find him."

Jackson is described as a black male, 6 foot one, weighing about 165 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black hooded jacket with fur trim, and riding a bluish-purple bike, heading north North Prospect Avenue on an errand. The bike and his wallet have since been recovered in the Garden Hills neighborhood.

Any tips can be called in anonymously to Champaign Police at (217) 351-4545 or Crimestoppers (373-8477).

(Photo courtesy of Champaign Police)