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WEST VALLEY CITY — Police are seeking the public’s help in finding a 68-year-old man who went missing Feb. 5.
Robert Denner’s neighbors saw him leave the area of 3500 South 4800 West to go to work, but no one has seen or heard from him since, according to Roxeanne Vainuku, a spokesperson with the West Valley City Police Department.
Denner’s friends are very concerned since this is highly unusual behavior for him. Normally, he leaves for work, walks to a convenience store, buys a cup of coffee then catches a ride with coworkers to his job, Vainuku said.
Denner is described as white, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 155 pounds. He has brown and gray hair, blue eyes, a brown and gray beard and a mustache. He frequently wears a baseball hat with a military logo, Vainuku said.
Detectives are investigating the case but have no leads so far. They have checked the convenience store surveillance video, but it doesn’t show Denner arriving at the store that day and he did not shown up at work.
Denner has never left like this without notice, according to his companion of 25 years, Hazel Betts.
"He just wouldn't up and walk away," Betts said. "In 25 years, he's never done this. It's just not like him."
Betts searched the neighborhood with a flashlight the evening she found out Denner didn't show up to the convenience store or to his job at Overstock.com.
His employers and co-workers have also helped look by taking time off work to knock on doors in the neighborhood and hang fliers, Betts said.
"They put fliers all over this town looking for him. They said, 'We're going to find him,'" Betts said.
Denner is known for his love for his grandchildren and the dollar bills he keeps in his pockets in case somebody needs change, Betts said.
"We miss him, we love him and we want him to come home," Betts said.
If you have any information about Denner’s location, please call the West Valley City Police Department at 801-840-8000.
