Waterford man missing after walk home, friends left with no clues

(WJBK) - Friends and family are still searching for missing Waterford man Gregory King as worry continues to grow.

"My worst fear is that he's laying somewhere and nobody wants to do anything," Kim Ortiz said.

Kim says he's been calling her every day for the last two years, so when she didn't hear from her best friend for four days, instant panic set in.

"Where do I go? It's just an open road with no ends," she said.

They say King, nicknamed Burt, never strayed too far from his apartment on Scott Lake Road in Waterford, or from Bingo City, where he's worked as a cook for the last four years.

His boss, Steven Campbell, says King hasn't missed a day of work since he started.

"I would send him home cause he was sick but other than that, he didn't miss a day," he said.

During his shift on Friday, Campbell says King seemed tired after working his side job laying asphalt.

"He was in so much pain I sent him home ... His roommate was going to take him home," Campbell said.

But King's roommate says King chose to walk home around 7 p.m. that night.

He appeared out of it and hasn't been heard from since.

"It's bad to think wrongly, but I think something's happened," Campbell said.

Calling Waterford police, friends and family are out searching his regular route day after day.

"I've searched everywhere between here and his house. Nothing," said his brother Matt King.

After searching the area, King's friends and family say he was spotted at Watkins Lake Road and Dixie Highway around 8 p.m. Friday and appeared upset.

King's brother admits Burt has had a tough time, saying King has been jailed twice and has had issues with drugs and alcohol.

"He's kind of stayed with friends and stuff, but he's never disappeared for four or five days," Matt said.

King is described as about 6'1" and nearly 300 lbs., with strawberry blonde hair.

He was last seen wearing a black hat and a black shirt with red and black shorts and black slip-on shoes. He also has two tattoos on his shoulders - one of a pit bull and another of a cross.

While they're worried King may have slipped back into his old lifestyle, his friends and family say they will keep searching until they find him.

"Burtie, I love you. We all love you, just call us if you can," Ortiz said.