5 Photos
Peter Beard
Police search for Peter Beard on Old Montauk Highway. STEPHEN J. KOTZ
Police search for Peter Beard on Old Montauk Highway. STEPHEN J. KOTZ
Police search for Peter Beard on Old Montauk Highway. STEPHEN J. KOTZ
Two police officers return to the search scene near Camp Hero State Park.
The photographer and artist Peter Beard remained unaccounted for a week after he left his home on Old Montauk Highway in Montauk and vanished. Police said Mr. Beard, 82, who suffers from dementia, left his home at about 4:40 p.m. on March 31, while his wife Nejma was preoccupied.
Police and volunteers from the Montauk Fire Department searched for Mr. Beard in the thickly overgrown Montauk moorlands in and near Camp Hero State Park that night. The next morning, the search was expanded to include police from many different agencies, including the Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Police. A Suffolk County Police helicopter searched from the air, and other officers deployed drones and K9 patrols to no avail.
“The active search went through late last week,” said Captain Chris Anderson of the Town Police. “It has since been scaled back. As of now we are continuing using marine patrol to comb the coastline from Town Line Road at Southampton to Montauk Point.”
Captain Anderson said the search had been exhaustive, with precisely measured grids being checked two or three times. “We threw out a lot of assets and resources,” he said. He added that police did not receive any reported sightings of Mr. Bear since he disappeared.
Police described Mr. Beard as 5-10 and 176 pounds, with gray hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a blue fleece pullover, black sweat pants, and blue sneakers when he disappeared.
Police have asked anyone with information to call 631-537-7575 or 911.
Staff Writer on Apr 1, 2020