Tipton County Man Still Missing

Family and friends of a missing Tipton County man are asking for your help. 40 year-old Howard Piner of Brighton has been missing since Wednesday, April 6, 2009.

[jill44]

HOWARD PINER, AGE 40, MISSING since 5/6/2009.
He is a registered nurse at a surgery clinic at
Bowden Surgery Center on Monroe where he is an anesthesia provider.
He has a wife and three boys.
He left to go a dr's appoinment, Memphis Orthopedic Group off Highway 14 Wednesday, scheduled at 8:00a.m.
He got gas at 7:45a.m.at Super Low, 3.6 miles east of the doctor's office,
but video survelliance did not allow police to see the driver's face. It was blocked by the gas station pump.
His cell phone was last used 10 min. after he bought gas.
Howard P's credit cards have not been used.
He has never been seen since. His pickup has not been found.
Memphis Police and Shelby County Sheriff's deputies are now helping Tipton County Sheriff's deputies with the case.
Piner's believed to be driving a 2005 gray Ford F-150 crew cab truck with Tennessee license plate 303-GDC.
If you've seen Lamar "Howard" Piner, call Tipton County Sheriff's Office.

[jill44]

Does anyone know what the roadway is like between the gas station and his dr appt.?

I am thinking, what if he had an accident? Are there rivers to cross? Lakes or canals? What about ravines?

I am wondering if the police or family and friends have walked that 3.6 miles from gas station to dr appt? Just checking to see if there are any signs of a car accident?

It is ominous when the cell phone is off and the bank account has not been touched.

Prayers for this family and Howard P.

[concerned]

I thought the gas station and the doc office were both on the corner of covington pike and 14 by the hospital.If his credit card wasnt used what made them look at the gas station?

[jill44]

I don't know that area at all.
I was going by news articles.

His last cell phone call was 7:55 a.m, 5 minutes before his appointment with the dr.

I would be interested to know who the call was to?
And
the reason for going to the dr?
I am just thinking, what if he thought it was bad news?
But then you would think, find out for sure before you make any kind of decision.

Do you know the area?

[jill44]

concerned wrote:

I thought the gas station and the doc office were both on the corner of covington pike and 14 by the hospital.If his credit card wasnt used what made them look at the gas station?

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debit card used for gas.

[jill44]

http://www.wreg.com/wreg-missingtiptoncountym...
New story. Still no leads.

[Caitlin Pruitt]

It was the superlo on covington pike not the BP next to the hospital.

[concerned]

if you google map the addresses I highly doubt he is off the road between the gas station and the docs office its all carlots,shopping center's,fast food places,no real places to run off the road without being noticed.What I wonder is why he would pass so many gas stations to go over 3 miles out of his way to where he was going to get gas.There are quite a few stations near brighton that would be on his way that has cheaper gas.

[concerned]

something else I dont know if anyone has thought of it.I seen a news thing on buying stolen rides without knowing they are stolen.I think craigslist
might be a good place to keep an eye out for that truck.I noticed a white one on there today how long would it take them to change the color.

[jill44]

Caitlin Pruitt wrote:

It was the superlo on covington pike not the BP next to the hospital.

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Is this gas station about 3 or 4 miles from his dr appt address?

[jill44]

concerned wrote:

if you google map the addresses I highly doubt he is off the road between the gas station and the docs office its all carlots,shopping center's,fast food places,no real places to run off the road without being noticed.What I wonder is why he would pass so many gas stations to go over 3 miles out of his way to where he was going to get gas.There are quite a few stations near brighton that would be on his way that has cheaper gas.

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I am glad you answered the question about possible places to have an accident and not be seen for days.
And also, so he went out of his way to get gas? Very strange.

[jill44]

Thinking out loud:
What if Howard P was attacked and his car stolen, right around where he lived?
That person could have used his debit card to get gas and then kept on going.
And either Howard P was left near where the car was taken or he was in the back of the pickup and who knows where he could be now.
Wonder what number that last cell phone call was to?
It was at 7:55a.m.

[jill44]

http://www.fox61.com/wtic-missing-husband-051...
5/13/2009 news update.
Howard's co workers out searching for him.
Also says his gps on cell phone is dormant.
Does that mean the cell phone is not charged or ?

[concerned]

It has not been verified that he was the person on the superlo camera.They could not verify the identity of the person.His phone battery is probably dead or the phone is turned off.His appt was at one of those buildings by Methodist North
the gas station is further up Covington Pike by the car lot's according to google maps.I believe it's actually superlo foods with a gas station out front.I cant remember the name but there was big grocery store there at one time.I think maybe Megamarket was the name.

[concerned]

I joined the National Center for missing children some years ago and dropped out because I recieved hundreds of emails way too many to digest and help with.Lots were teenage runaways,family dispute abductions etc.I felt it would help if they localized it a little more.I have since found webslueths and several other sites for online volunteers.I am amazed at the number of kid's and adults who dissappear every day never to be seen again.People have no clue at the actual numbers.I am dissapointed that the midsouth does not have a bigger database on lots of these cold cases.The more the public is aware the more of these cases can be solved.
As for Howard I am praying for a safe return.If they decide to get a big search party together I am in.

[Caitlin Pruitt]

The gas station is over by all the car lots. It is 4 miles from where his doctors appt. was.

[Caitlin Pruitt]

Also, it is strange that he went all the way over there to get gas unless A. he had to go somewhere else before his doctors appt. or B. His car was taken before he even got to Raleigh. They said they could not tell who was in his truck. Something could have happened to him on his way from Brighton.

[jill44]

I also think something very well could have happened to him on the way to his dr appt. I hope they check his neighborhood, the first or second stop sign, and check if any security cameras along the way caught sight of his pickup and him. or not him.

Otherwise,if he was at the gas station for whatever reason, something happened between 7;45a.m. and 7;55a.m.,after that last cell phone call.

I am sure law enforcment has thought of all these possibilities.
Glad his co workers were going to look for him on Wed.

[concerned]

I layed awake last thinking about this.From the one news clip it says he lived on brighton clompton.I'm assuming the first stop sign would have been where it meets another road at hwy 14 ( a 3 rd junction)I highly doubt something happened there (but it is possible)you have people driving into Memphis from 3 directions at that time of morning anything unusual would have been noticed and people in the rural areas tend to notice things and people a little diff then people in the cities.As far as the first gas station.Fast Times It is a very busy station a lot of regular's and I highly highly doubt anything occurred there especially at that time of morning.I know this store and I dont have to drive over there and ask I can already tell you somebody mentioned it and the buzz is going on.But again anything is possible.

[concerned]

There are enough possibilities to drive me crazy.
1.If something happened between his house and the hospital there are several alternate roads that could have been taken to get to covington pike.Of course they would be off the beaten path and longer,it would depend on the time he left his house to rule out which roads to look at.
2.He could have been in the doc office parking lot waiting.I wonder if they have checked that wooded area strip behind the hospital.
3.He might have been early and killing time went to that gas station and decided to ride on down to the other one down by the interstate to get a cappacinno or something.It says his truck was going in that direction.There was another man abducted,car jacked,robbed (I'll leave the rest unsaid) from that gas station down by the interstate some months ago.