Police seek missing man in strange case

BARRY COUNTY, Mich. (WOOD) - Investigators continue to try and unravel a strange case out of Barry County. They're looking for 53-year-old Paul Atchley and fear he may have been injured or harmed by an acquaintance, 41-year-old Harold Ordway.

Ordway was involved in a traffic crash last week in Allegan County and police found blood on a mattress in the back of the pick-up truck he was driving. Ordway was arrested at the scene for possessing a weapon as a felon, but would not tell investigators where the blood on the mattress came from.

In the following days, investigators discovered that Atchley had been staying with Ordway at Ordway's parents house off Manning Lake Rd. in Barry County. They say he had been sleeping there in the back of the pick-up truck.

Atchley hasn't been seen since.

"Paul was staying with our suspect and we cannot find Paul now." said Barry County Sheriff, Dar Leaf.

Police searched the property on Manning Lake Rd. and some 160 acres around it last Saturday. They used dogs and a helicopter in the search, but found no sign of Atchley.

Sheriff Leaf says they're worried about Atchley's well-being.

"We are concerned about him," he said. "We don't know... and that's probably the biggest concern we have."

Both Ordway and Atchley have been known to wander from place to place with no permanent address, although sheriff's investigators say Ordway recently occupied a house in Battle creek before moving in with his parents. Atchley's last listed address was for a home on Michigan Ave. in Hastings, but the current homeowner tells 24 Hour News 8 he's never seen or heard of him.

There is one common thread: Both men once used an address in the 14,000 block of Kellogg School Rd. in the small town of Hickory Corners. Atchley listed it on voter registration information and Ordway used it as an address listed in the phone book. Located there is the Hickory Timber Inn; a small family restaurant with rooms for rent above.

No one there recognized either man from photos.

"There's a lot of unknowns in this case," added Leaf. "We do need to find Paul to find our more on this case... and hopefully he's okay."

Barry County Sheriff's officials say the blood found in the truck is being analyzed, but didn't have a time frame for results.

Ordway is housed in the Allegan County Jail and is not cooperating with investigators.