Search for missing 64-year-old Bellevue man resumes in daylight

BELLEVUE, Ky. (WXIX) – The search for a 64-year-old critically missing Northern Kentucky man is expected to resume at daylight Monday.

According to Campbell County EMA Response Officer Mike Ward, first responders will return to the Ohio River and to a wooded area between the water and his home in Bellevue.

The search for Mark Bertram expanded into a wooded area late Sunday into early Monday before it was called off at 3 a.m. because search and rescue teams were “exhausted,” Ward said.

Bertram left his Berry Avenue home sometime early Sunday and has not been seen since, Bellevue Police Chief Jon McClain said.

A Boone County Sheriff’s Office K-9 followed Bertram’s trail from his home on Berry Avenue, where he was last seen Saturday about 8:30 p.m., to Lafayette Avenue, where it dead ends at the riverbank, the chief tells FOX19 NOW.

Boone County Water Rescue joined the search by boat Sunday evening and used underwater sonar technology to find him

“We’re trying to find him before any damage can be done,” the chief said Sunday evening.

According to the police chief, Bertram’s family noticed he was missing around 2 or 3 a.m.

At 8 or 9 a.m., a missing person report was filed and the search began.

Mark left his cane, cell phone and wallet at home, the chief said.

He is described as 6 feet tall, has white hair and walks with a noticeable limp due to a hip injury.

His family told authorities he changed clothes before leaving home. So they’re not sure what he was wearing, but he will be wearing brown loafers, police wrote in an update on social media.

Anyone who sees Mark is urged to call 911.

The search in the Ohio River and on land in Bellevue for Mark Bertram, 64, was called off... — The search in the Ohio River and on land in Bellevue for 64-year-old Mark Bertram was called off early Monday because search and rescue teams were “exhausted,” according to Campbell County EMA.(FOX19 NOW)

Campbell County Land Search and Rescue (LandSar); Bellevue Police and Fire Departments and the Northern Kentucky Technical Rescue Team searched the Bertram neighborhood and investigated the area of the 30 block of Berry Avenue.

Earlier Sunday, emergency responders warned residents in a social media post on the police department’s Facebook page: “Don’t be alarmed if you see flashlights shining in and around your backyard.”

Several first responders joined the search, including K-9s from Grant and Pendleton... — According to Campbell County EMA, multiple responders have joined the search, including K-9s from Grant and Pendleton counties.(FOX19 NOW)

Just before midnight, Ward told FOX19 NOW that two new K-9s joined the operation.

The search and rescue dogs come from Pendleton County Search and Rescue and the Kentucky Search Dog Association in Grant County, he said.

“We are still searching. We are not going to cancel anything for the time being. We will continue to search,” Ward said.

“The chief wanted us to exhaust all efforts. We have search and rescue units. They are still willing to go through with it. As long as that remains the case, we will continue to do our best.”

FOX19 NOW will continue to update this groundbreaking story.

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