Clergyman Vanishes In Joliet Without A Trace: Press Conference Called

JOLIET — Joliet Patch has received a press release advising that family and friends of Rev. Warren Beard, Midwest Regional Director of Facilities for POAH Communities, will hold a news conference to seek the public's help in finding the Chicago resident who disappeared in Joliet.

Relatives have told authorities that Rev. Beard, assistant pastor at New Israelite Missionary Baptist Church, was last seen about 9 p.m., Tuesday, July 2, in Joliet in the 400 block of North Broadway Street.

"Rev. Beard is 'big-hearted, honest, the epitome of a family man,'" said Shane Beard, a son. "We have to find him."

Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English responded to Joliet Patch on Sunday morning with the following information: "We were made aware of the disappearance of Warren Beard by his family. We’ve learned that they originally reported him missing to the Chicago Police Department. It is believed that he was last seen in the 400 block of Broadway Street on July 2nd.

"In the afternoon hours of July 3, officers checked a residence in the 400 block of North Broadway at the request of family, but they were unable to locate Beard at this location. We spoke with family and friends of Mr. Beard yesterday as they were searching the Joliet area. "

According to a press release from ThinkInc., Rev. Beard is a rock for the family, tending to ailing relatives and keeping everyone abreast of updates and keeping the family close, said his aunts Theresa Boss-French and Trish Truitt.

Family and friends say they organized a search party that will fan out across Joliet this weekend, July 6-7. They will make further announcements and provide updates at Monday morning's news conference in Chicago. Family and friends of Rev. Warren Beard, 53, of Chicago, who has been missing since July 2, will be at the news conference include:

• Shane Beard, oldest son
• Trish Truitt, an aunt
• Theresa Boss-French, an aunt
• Chenier A. Alston, Senior Pastor of New Israelite Missionary Baptist Church, where Rev. Beard is a Pastor's Assistant

The press conference will be in Chicago at 11 a.m., on Monday., July 8, at the New Israelite Missionary Baptist Church, 1625 W 75th Place.

Rev. Beard is 6-foot-tall, 220 pounds., has a shaved head, and is a Black man with a brown complexion. He is the regional director of facilities for POAH Communities in Chicago, a nonprofit developer, owner and operator of nearly 13,000 affordable homes in 12 states and the District of Columbia. Rev. Beard is responsible for POAH's Midwest portfolio covering Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Kentucky.

This story will be updated as more details become known.