AKRON — Akron police asked the public on Thursday, Oct. 15, for help locating Deandre Fitch, 30, an endangered missing man who was last seen in the early morning hours on the city’s west side.
Fitch was last seen around 3 a.m. Thursday, according to the Akron Police Department. He was on foot and heading eastbound along the railroad tracks near North Hawkins Avenue and Garman Road when he was last spotted.
Police released a detailed description of what Fitch was wearing in the hope that someone who saw him will recognize the details. He had on black jogging pants with a white stripe down the leg, a black and white beanie cap, a black hoodie with white lettering on the back, and black Crocs.
That combination of clothing, together with the time and the railroad-track location, gives residents, drivers, and businesses in the area specific details to check against anything they may have seen early Thursday. Even a brief sighting after 3 a.m. could help officers establish which direction Fitch traveled next.
Police said Fitch left his residence after leaving a note. The department described him as an endangered missing adult, and its appeal to the public signals that officers want sightings reported promptly rather than waiting for him to return on his own.
The area around North Hawkins Avenue and Garman Road is a starting point for the search, not a boundary. Anyone in the surrounding neighborhoods who was awake, working an overnight shift, or traveling through the area early Thursday is among the people police are hoping will come forward.
Anyone with information about Fitch’s whereabouts is asked to contact Akron Police Detective R. Jackson at 330-375-2530. Police said callers can remain anonymous, an option the department offers so that people with a possible sighting do not hesitate to report it.
Police have not released additional details about Fitch or the circumstances of his disappearance beyond the description, the location, and the note. The next step in the case will depend heavily on tips from the public, and officers are urging anyone who was near the tracks early Thursday to make the call.
