Endangered Sun City man, 81, still missing. ‘Extremely concerned’ family asks for help
The search continues for missing and endangered 81-year-old Martin Raffone, who unexpectedly drove away from his Sun City home early Feb. 20. No new sightings have been reported since the morning of his disappearance, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Raffone, who has gray hair and blue eyes, left his residence in a white 2015 Hyundai Genesis sedan with the S.C. tag KDP973. The car was last seen on surveillance video around 3 a.m. on Feb. 20 near I-95’s Exit 8 interchange in Hardeeville.
The man also stopped to refuel his car around that same time, said sheriff’s office spokesperson Maj. Angela Viens. Footage from the gas station showed him wearing a green sweatshirt and blue jeans.
Family members reported Raffone’s disappearance around 10 a.m. that morning, telling police he had left the house around midnight.
“Our family is devastated and extremely concerned about my Uncle Butch’s disappearance,” said Amy Rosen, a niece of the 81-year-old Raffone. “We are hopeful and pray he is found safe very soon.”
Viens said sheriff’s office investigators would suspend the use of helicopters from the department’s aviation unit another sighting occurred, but deputies were still on the ground searching for the man as of Monday.
As Raffone’s disappearance nears the start of its second week, family members have displayed information on the missing man on billboards “in highly traveled areas,” Rosen said: along S.C. 170 in Okatie, near the Talmadge Bridge in Savannah and along I-95 toward Pooler.
Family and friends recently threw several celebrations for Raffone’s 81st birthday, Rosen said. “I think he eventually got tired of us singing happy birthday to him, but he really enjoyed the desserts,” she added.
Any information on Raffone, including possible sightings, can be reported through the sheriff’s office non-emergency dispatch line at 843-524-2777.
This story was originally published February 26, 2024 at 3:33 PM.
