Heritage School student found near Moreland
By JOHN A. WINTERS
john@newnan.com
A Heritage School student, missing since Wednesday night, was found around noon today miles from where his abandoned truck was discovered.
Grayson Barret Parker was located at a residence on Bethlehem Church Road in Moreland. He was last seen about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday leaving Frazier's convenience store on U.S. 29 North.
Parker was taken to Piedmont Newnan Hospital for observation.
Parker's Ford pickup was found on the side of the road on Happy Valley Circle, near the entrance to the Lake Redwine Plantation subdivision. His iPhone was in a charger in the truck. His wallet was in the back seat and a credit card and insurance card were on the floor of the front seat.
"There is no indication of any foul play at this time," Investigator Warren Campbell with the Coweta County Sheriff's Office, said earlier Thursday morning.
From where Parker's truck was left, it would be a short walk through a field and wooded area to get to his house on Lake Coweta Circle. Sheriff's deputies later impounded the truck and took it away.
Dozens of friends and family, as well as K-9 units and the county's helicopter, were involved in the search. Searchers were fanning out from the Parker's residence looking for him.
A large search party was forming at the nearby Madras Middle School and authorities were about to start a grid search when the call came in that Parker was found.
(To view photos from the earlier search scenes, visit http://photos.times-herald.com/mycapture and click on Events / Coweta for the Photo Gallery.)
Campbell said Parker had some type of undiagnosed medical condition and may have been disoriented.
"He apparently was not feeling well recently and was lethargic," the investigator said. Parker was seen pacing around the parking lot of the convenience store Wednesday night in a video surveillance tape.
Family members found Parker's truck while out looking for him late Wednesday night and sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene at 1:19 a.m. this morning.
A command center, including the county's new Haz-Mat truck that has a powerful telescopic camera, was set up on Happy Valley early today, blocking traffic both ways on that road.
Parker was last seen wearing a blue T-shirt with the name "Guy Harvey" on the left pocket and khaki shorts. He is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs about 220 pounds. He has blue eyes and strawberry blond hair.
Parker was entering the 12th grade at Heritage School, where he is a football player. He is an Eagle Scout from Troop 47.
