The family of a St. Charles man who went missing on the Meramec River two weeks ago is taking some time off to recharge from their search efforts.
25-year-old Jon "Jay" Franklin was on a float trip with a group of friends when he went missing near Eureka on May 31, just before storms set in that evening. He has brown eyes and brown hair, and was last seen wearing green and white swim trunks.
Over the last two weeks, family, friends and community members have participated in daily air, boat and foot searches stretching from Eureka down to Arnold. On Thursday they announced on the search Facebook page that the family was returning home to Peoria--but will be back to continue their efforts.
"We are not giving up hope that Jon will be found and we will bring him home. We continue to ask for all those in the area to continue to search. We will be back to lead more search parties, but in the meantime please keep your eyes open and never give up hope. Thank you all."
Follow the Facebook group about search efforts: https://www.facebook.com/FindJonFranklin
One woman has organized a fundraiser on YouCaring.com hoping to raise $5,000, all of which will go to the Franklin family to assist with search effort expenses. There are 13 days left to contribute.
Catch up on our previous coverage of the search for Jon Franklin:
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