CHARLOTTE — A family’s search to find a missing Belmont man has now extended into the Charlotte area.
Andy Tench was last seen leaving his home on March 24.
His vehicle was later abandoned in Monroe the following day. The blinkers were still on, but his keys were gone, according to reports.
His relatives told Channel 9′s Erika Jackson that they learned Tench was celebrating his birthday at The Bar at 316 in South End. Gaston County police confirmed this was the last place he was seen, according to witnesses.
They said they would be searching the area and handing out hundreds of flyers in that area on Saturday in hopes that someone would come forward with information.
Tench’s mother, Tracie Blanton, told Channel 9 that her maternal instincts started tingling when she hadn’t heard from her son on his birthday.
“When I didn’t get a call or a text about feeding his cats or something that got me concerned. I started calling, and it just kept ringing and going to voicemail,” Blanton explained. “Tuesday, when he didn’t come home, I was going crazy because I knew he would not go that long.”
Channel 9 reached out to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department about their role in the investigation.
“CMPD has an active missing person investigation for Andy Tench. It was a case that originated out of our jurisdiction, and we have information that he was last seen here in Charlotte,” Lt. Kevin Pietrus said.
Blanton, however, said she is still holding on to hope.
“We’re not gonna give up. Me and his sister are like bulldogs after a bone, you know? We’re gonna get that bone,” she expressed.
The missing person’s report has a home address in east Charlotte listed on the report. We have reached out to CMPD about how that house is connected to the investigation.
A spokesperson would only say the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is working with Gaston County police to follow possible leads in the case.
The family is asking for help with expenses until Andy Tench returns. You can donate here.
VIDEO: ‘We deserve answers’: Family desperate to find missing Belmont man; car found abandoned in Monroe
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