The search for a missing Savage man entered its second week Tuesday as searchers marked the 39th birthday of Martise Windom.
Windom was last seen leaving his home on Nov. 7. A volunteer search group has increased efforts to canvass the city this week, asking for more volunteers as the search continues into Wednesday.
"We had about 40 people here today," said Deanna Villella, who founded the search group United Legacy. "We'd love to see that turn into 400 people if we had it our way."
Amy Barnett, a city spokeswoman, said police interviews with friends and family of Windom have shed little light. At this time, she said, foul play is not suspected and police are not aware of any medical conditions.
John Mitchell, incident commander for United Legacy, said searchers will reconvene Wednesday at the Savage Sports Center, 13450 Dakota Av., around 9:45 a.m. to continue looking for Windom. "This is way, way out of character," Mitchell said. "We know something's up, we don't know what it is. Even a place to start — we don't have that."
Noah Gregory, Windom's godson, said Windom is an entrepreneur who owned his own credit recovery business. He said Tuesday's birthday made the disappearance extra difficult. "Why isn't he here to celebrate it?" Gregory said.
Barnett said investigators have searched the area where Windom lives, south of South Park Drive and east of Hwy. 13.
Windom is black, 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 240 pounds. A gofundme.com page related to the search said Windom was wearing a black shirt, black sweatpants and older black tennis shoes when he was last seen. Savage police said Windom coaches a youth basketball team in Lakeville and has missed practices and games since his disappearance.
