Snohomish man remains missing a week later

A 63-year-old Snohomish man is still missing after a week-long search.

The last time Henry Groeneveld was seen by his family was around 9:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 11, in the 400 block of Union Avenue. Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes announced the unit had taken over the case as of Friday morning.

Groeneveld’s daughter, Liz Dickson, said she has been told her father was spotted in Cady Park, near Top It Yogurt Shoppe on First Street, and the Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital on 92nd Street Northeast. He was sighted as recently as Wednesday, she said.

The community response was immediate when her dad went missing, Dickson said. She said stress from work and an argument with his wife, who has a disability, may have contributed to why he left his home that morning.

“It is just so out of the norm for him,” she said.

Groeneveld volunteers regularly at the Monroe Correctional Complex, with a humanitarian aid organization and his church in Snohomish, Dickson said. He has been a huge part of the community. If he met someone once, he would remember their name, she said.

“He is my hero because — it is not that he was some great, perfect person — but he valued all people, he valued everybody,” Dickson said.

Before leaving Groeneveld had said he was going to the river, according to a sheriff’s office news release. Snohomish Police led a search this week that encompassed the Snohomish and Pilchuck Rivers, the Avenue D Bridge, railroad trestles and First Street.

The county took over efforts once no leads were left to pursue, according to the release. The sheriff’s search and rescue helicopter and marine unit have scanned riverbanks. Search dogs were also used and video surveillance has been viewed.

Groeneveld is 5-foot-7 and weighs 150 pounds. He has gray hair and blue eyes, and was last seen wearing a red knit cap, brown pullover shirt and blue U.S. Postal Service pants.

The sheriff’s office asks that the public call 911 with any information on Groeneveld’s whereabouts. Anyone who wants to contact Dickson to volunteer can call her cell at 425-346-0109 or visit a Facebook group dedicated to finding her father.