The search for a missing Corpus Christi, Texas pastor continues for the seventh day after he left home to go to work and never showed up.
Phillip Loveday, 47, was last seen on Aug. 2 at 9:30 a.m. when he went to work at his secular job at Kinder Morgan, an oil and gas company, according to the Corpus Christi Police Department. He never arrived at his place of employment and hasn’t contacted his family since that time.
Loveday is the senior pastor at Faith Christian Center in Freer, Texas. Loveday’s wife, Meléa told law enforcement officials she “became concerned when she received a phone call that he did not show up for work or church.”
She told KRIS-TV she discovered he left his phone behind when she called him later in the day and heard it ringing in the bathroom.
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Loveday’s family told the outlet this was not unusual behavior from Loveday as he would accidentally forget his phone sometimes. What was unusual was that he didn’t find another way to get in contact with the family as the day went on.
“He would definitely always just answer back, so that was, right off the bat, very suspicious. It was just, ‘Oh why didn’t he answer?’ That never ever happens,” Loveday’s oldest daughter Kayleigh Purnell told KRIS-TV.
“I don’t think that he just disappeared. I’m kind of assuming that he had an accident, maybe rolled over into the brush. It’s hot in South Texas, and Texas in general, and he’s outside working, so maybe he just got stuck somewhere or hurt somewhere and can’t get help,” Purnell said.
Members of Loveday’s church told KRIS-TV they expected him to show up to preach that Wednesday night, but he never arrived. This led the members to cancel the scheduled Bible study and instead pray for his safety and health. The next day, residents gathered at the church for a community-wide prayer service.
Loveday is approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds. He has blonde hair and blue eyes. He was driving a white 2016 Ford F-250 displaying one of these two Texas license plate numbers: HTN9773 or PPN1389. The truck has not been found.
Meanwhile, the pastor’s church has created a Facebook page titled Finding Phillip Loveday which had more than 10,000 followers as of Tuesday.
In the latest post on Monday, the group administrator wrote there was not any new information on the search, but other law enforcement agencies have been brought on board to assist the CCPD.
“Every known possible route to his work sites has been driven, most multiple times,” the administrator wrote. “Creeks on the routes have been looked at. We have not identified anywhere needing divers at this time.”
The page has posted grid maps of the search areas and asked residents to check their home or business camera’s footage for images of Loveday’s truck.
“We realize we may have missed some search areas, so we are still encouraging the public to check all video footage both inside and outside these grids,” the administrator wrote.
If you have any information that may assist investigators, or know the whereabouts of Phillip Loveday, please call Corpus Christi Police Department directly by calling (361) 886-2840 or by calling (361) 886-2600.
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