Editor’s note: Cortez McConer Jr.’s body was found Friday afternoon. A report can be found here.
PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Search teams were out in force near Rockford Friday as police look for a Grand Rapids 16-year-old missing since October.
The search area for Cortez McConer Jr. covered several square miles west of Wolverine Boulevard between 10 Mile Road and Kroes Street.
“It’s been over three weeks since Cortez has been seen,” Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Eric Winstrom told reporters Friday morning. “As much as I’m hopeful that we find closure for Cortez’s family, I’m even more hopeful and optimistic that the media covering this will get the message out: Cortez is not in trouble. I’m hopeful he’s safe somewhere. I hopeful that he sees this and that he contacts family, contacts the police. Call anyone.”
He described a “very coordinated search” with a command bus, Kent County Search and Rescue, drones and dogs. He said the grid searches of old are now organized with GPS tracking that allows authorities to map where crews have looked already and direct them to places that still need to be scrutinized.
McConer was last known to be at the McDonald’s on E. Division Street near Wolverine Boulevard in Rockford on Oct. 26. He and two friends ran away from police, they said, and were last spotted east of Wolverine near Glen Oaks Drive near Courtland Drive.
“They ran into the woods. His friend was actually arrested by the police. And that’s the last time Cortez was seen,” Winstrom said.
The friends were found shortly afterward, but at first would not say McConer was with them.
Since then, the chief said, investigators haven’t heard of McConer contacting any friends or family members, haven’t seen any trace of him on social media and haven’t found his cellphone. The chief noted the rural area where he was last seen can be dangerous — there are dense woods and wetlands and it has been cold.
“I don’t want to lose hope, I don’t want to say it’s not possible that he’s out there, but I am fearful and want to be realistic, too,” Winstrom said. “It’s a very large geographic area that we’re searching. I want to find answers, so I’m not going to say I’m hopeful that we find Cortez today. I’m hopeful that Cortez sees this and reaches out and lets us know that he’s OK.”
Police suggested McConer may be hiding from them because he thinks he’s in trouble.
“The information that we had early on was that Cortez was running from the police,” Winstrom said. “This is not a serious crime. He was the occupant of a stolen car. Kids make mistakes all the time. We all made mistakes when we were 16 years old.”
But he said that “in no shape or form are we interested whatsoever in holding Cortez any criminal accountability.”
“Three weeks into it, it’s that much more concerning because a 16-year-old needs support, he needs food, he needs someplace warm to be. So someone would be taking care of him if he’s OK,” he said. “If that is the case, please know Cortez is not in trouble. We are only looking to make sure he’s OK.”
Police released a map earlier this week outlining their primary search area south of Rockford and asked anyone in or around that area to check sheds, covered pools and hot tubs or other outbuildings where McConer might hide.
“I think there’s a good chance that he’s in this area,” Winstrom said.
Michigan Independent Search and Rescue Team volunteer Jim Burgess said crews were navigating physical obstacles in the woods like trees and the obstacle of time:
“Especially (some)one who’s been missing for three weeks, the evidence tends to disappear. We’ve had fall leaves come down. So if there’s clothing, that’s all covered up,” he said.
He showed News 8 the mapping software that allowed crews to keep track of one another.
“In this density, even with our bright orange you’ll lose us in just a little bit,” he said.
Winstrom said his department has gotten tips from people around Grand Rapids and Rockford, including surveillance video sightings, and has been running down those tips. But so far, no sightings have been confirmed.
“The next steps are keep going, keep pushing until we get answers,” he said. “This isn’t the end of it today if we don’t find him. We’re going to keep working. We have a lot of active search warrants that are out as far as for social media, as far as cellphones, etc.”
Family says a $4,000 reward is being offered for information in the case. Anyone with information about where Cortez may be can call GRPD at 616.456.3380 or Silent Observer at 616.774.2345.
“Just to reiterate: He is not in any trouble. We just want to know he’s safe,” the chief stressed.
