By By MARY-ALLISON LANCASTER-Managing editor
East Brewton authorities said Tuesday they were looking for a man who has been missing for a week.
Late Tuesday afternoon, law enforcement officials were involved in an investigation near Fred's, where, sources confirmed, a body had been found. East Brewton Police Chief B.C. Cooper was involved in the investigation and was not available for comment Tuesday night.
There was no word on whether the person found Tuesday was Thomas Jeffery Grantham, 52, who was last seen on Aug. 10. The missing person report was filed by his ex-wife on Aug. 11 at 11:35 p.m.
According to Chief Cooper, missing persons reports are typically filed after the person has been missing for three days and when there is no evidence of foul play. In the event that the missing person is a juvenile, a search is executed immediately.
Jeff Grantham's ex-wife, Patricia Grantham, made the missing persons report after she became worried about her ex-husband. She stated that she had last seen her husband around 3 p.m. on Aug. 10.
According to a statement made to the police, Patricia Grantham, became suspicious of Jeff Grantham's son-in-law when he made an unusual statement to her three sons. In her police statement, she said that it was unlike her ex-husband to go anywhere without leaving a note. Patricia Grantham later stated that Raymond Qualls, Jeff Grantham's son-in-law, made a statement on Aug. 11 around 6 p.m. saying "You might need to look for your daddy, something might have happened to him."
Cooper said that they filed the report the day after Grantham went missing because there was evidence of foul play. However, suicide has not been ruled out either, Cooper added.
According to police records, Grantham went to his daughter's house to tell her about a burning car he saw down by the river. The car, he said, looked a lot like a Ford Tempo that was stolen from his daughter's home.
After he told them about the car, his daughter, Pattie Sue Grantham Qualls, and his granddaughter, Kristy Qualls, drove Jeff Grantham home around 7 p.m. because it was storming outside.
Later that evening, his son, Christopher Grantham, had dinner from the Cozy Corner with his father. After dinner, they both watched the evening news. Christopher Grantham told police he left after the news ended and went home to bed.
According to police records, Raymond Qualls told police that he had last seen Jeff Grantham around 4 to 6 p.m. on Aug. 10 when Grantham stopped by his house to tell him about the burning car.
According to Cooper, officers investigated the burning car and found no connection to the disappearance of Jeff Grantham.
Jeff Grantham stands 5 ft. 6 in., weighs about 108 lbs. and has brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information regarding Jeff Grantham and his disappearance is asked to call the East Brewton Police Department at 867-4864.