Where is Jimmy Butler? More than a week after he went missing, the search continues

It has now been more than a week since family and friends have heard from, or seen, Jimmy Butler.

“I’m just trying to keep my head above water,” Reid Butler, Jimmy’s father, said over the phone Monday.

Reid Butler was back at work Monday, after working intermittently last week. His family has been searching for his 27-year-old son since he went missing on his way to home to Lakewood Ranch in the early morning hours of Nov. 18.

Jimmy Butler went to St. Pete Beach Bike Fest on Nov. 17, and later that night met his girlfriend in St. Petersburg. The two drove home separately, Butler on his white 2002 Honda F41 motorcycle. He did not come home and has been missing since around 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

He was last seen wearing a black biker jacket with red trim.

Reid Butler, Jimmy’s father, said law enforcement told him Jimmy’s phone last “pinged” in the area of Pinellas Bayway and U.S. 19 near Interstate 275, in Maximo, just before the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Then, the phone’s battery died.

Reid Butler previously said he thinks his son started to take a different route home on his motorcycle, and may have tried to meet up with his girlfriend along the way to follow her home.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge was searched and Reid Butler said he feels assured nothing happened to his son there.

He said investigators are “not ruling anything out, but do feel comfortable it’s not foul play.”

The search took flight as Jimmy Butler’s girlfriend went up in a helicopter over the weekend looking through streets for signs of him or his motorcycle.

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Corporal Jessica Mackesy said they have detectives actively working on the case and there are “no suspicious incidents, suicidal statements and or unusual circumstances at the time he was last seen according to deputies.”

Still, as of Monday, nothing.

“We’re searching for needles in a haystack at this point,” Reid Butler said.

On Friday, nearly a dozen people joined members of Peace River K9 Search and Rescue Association gathered at Summerfield Community Park in Lakewood Ranch to assist in the search efforts.

“We appreciate anyone going out and helping us,” Reid Butler said.

One of the best ways to help, Reid Butler said, is to just be vigilant while driving — such as being on the lookout for tire marks or anything that could be considered unusual.

As for those interested in going out in search of Jimmy, Reid Butler said “just go out” and look. The family, he said, does not have the capability to organize volunteers

A Facebook page created to post updates about the search can be found here or at Facebook.com/FindJimmyButler.

This story was originally published November 26, 2018 at 11:03 AM.