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SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds of people — friends, family members, police officers and other volunteers — continued searching the streets Saturday for Paul Heiner Swenson, 30, of American Fork.
“We have had search parties for two and a half solid days,” said Shiann Chambers, a friend of Swenson.
Chambers said about seven different "random people" told the group Swenson had been spotted near the Road Home shelter in Salt Lake City's Rio Grande neighborhood. "We don't really know how legitimate those (leads) are," she said.
Police say Swenson may have been experiencing a medical or other condition when he left home in a family vehicle about 3 p.m. Thursday, bound for an appointment in Salt Lake County.
Police said Swenson did not reach his destination, but they were able to determine he had been in the area of 4700 South and 900 East in Millcreeek Thursday evening, but his cellphone has since been turned off.
“We’re still searching. We’re still having crews all over,” Chambers said. “We have nothing to go on and we have no idea where he could possibly be."
Chambers also said Swenson's car — a black, four-door, 2016 BMW X6 — was found early Friday near Parkview Elementary School in the Glendale area. Police said the car was found "under suspicious circumstances" but did provide details of those circumstances.
Although Chambers said Swenson's family has checked his bank statements, called nearby hospitals and checked video surveillance cameras at numerous places, "we have no idea where he could possibly be," she said.
Chambers added that while "the word around here is that he's been kind of off the past few weeks," she said behavior like this is "very out of character" for Swenson.
“Everybody who knows him is just blown away," she said. "There’s nothing that could have prepared us for this."
Swenson is white with red hair, hazel eyes and a half-sleeve of tattoos on his right arm, police said. He is 6 feet tall, weighs 190 pounds and was last seen wearing a heather-gray short sleeve shirt, black jeans and black Converse shoes.
Anyone with information regarding Swenson's whereabouts is asked to contact the Utah County Sheriff's Office at 801-794-3970.
