Kansas investigators have been following reports of missing Lawrence County man since 1988

EL DORADO, Kan. (KSNW) — The Butler County Sheriff's Office in Kansas searched an area in the southern part of the county in connection with a missing persons case.

In May, the sheriff's office requested information from the public in two cases: Frankie “Punkie” Harrod and Ricky L. Nelms.

Although no bodies were found, three people were tried and convicted of Harrod's murder, with one still serving his prison sentence.

“He provided us with some information recently, and as we questioned and spoke with him, he revealed another person who had been missing since 1988,” said Butler County Sheriff's Detective Glenn Hopper.

This individual was called Nelms.

In early 1988, Nelms left his parents' home in Lawrence County. He was headed to Wichita, Kansas, where he took a job as a roofer. Investigators say he called her home in February of that year and spoke briefly to her mother, but that was the last time anyone heard from him.

After six months without news from him, Nelms' mother said she reported him missing to authorities in Alabama.

In a 2005 interview, a captain with the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office told News 19 that the person Nelms left for Wichita with was later revealed to be a relative of one of the suspects in the disappearance and murder of Harrod.

Hopper said the man now in prison for Harrod's death has cooperated and told investigators he was responsible for burying Harrod and Nelms.

After asking the public for help last month, Hopper said he received daily tips from the public.

One tip they're following up on involves Nelms' body, which led investigators to search a hedge Tuesday in southern Butler County. The Sedgwick County Emergency Management K9 Search and Rescue Team is assisting in the search of the area.

“We don't really consider prosecuting someone who has a prior conviction,” Hopper said. “We are just looking for information to tell us where the remains are so we can return them to their loved ones.”

If you have any information that could help investigators, call 316-322-8817 or 866-484-5924 or email [email protected].