JONES COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) – An investigator with the Jones County Sheriff’s Department has been tasked with solving some of the toughest cases: finding missing people with few leads and little information about their disappearance.

JCSD Cold Case Investigator Thad Windham is currently working to solve several missing persons cases.

Last week, Windham brought in three K9 handlers and four K9s who are part of the GTR K9 Search and specially trained to detect dead bodies.

GTR K9 Search is a volunteer organization based in Mississippi that provides cadaver searches to law enforcement agencies within the state and in other states on a regional basis.

The members of the GTR K9 Search team are composed of:

• Kathy Doty (Lowndes County) with K9 Tomi Girl and K9 Seal
• AJ Brown (Tishomingo County) with K9 Jag
• Dr. Barrett Gutter (Oktibbeha County) with K9 Maverick

Currently, Windham and the K9s are searching for Lewis Guy Thornton, missing with his dog since August 19, 2022, and James Abel Pryor, missing since September 18, 2015.

The two cases are not linked.

Information received on the two cases led investigators to two different geographic areas of Jones County in search of human remains.

K9s conducted ground and water searches in both areas, with both areas coming back negative for human remains.

No definitive evidence or evidence has been received as to what might have happened to Pryor or Lewis, but Windham isn’t giving up just yet.

The search will continue.

“Someone has information that could help us solve both missing persons cases,” Windham said. “We just need this person(s) to contact me confidentially at 601-425-3147 or via JCSD email at [email protected].”

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