The Snellville community is in a heightened state of concern as the search continues for Jarod Neidlinger, a 23-year-old man diagnosed with schizophrenia, who has been missing since escaping from a local mental health facility last Wednesday night. According to WSB-TV, Neidlinger was last seen near the intersection of Scenic Highway and Oak Road, prompting Snellville police to enlist the public's assistance in locating him.
Neidlinger, who has a history of evading law enforcement, successfully avoided search parties previously in Peachtree City and his said to hide in wooded areas; he is considered non-threatening to the public, however, and may seek help for basic needs like water. Described as 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighing around 150 pounds, he was wearing a blue hospital gown, gray shorts, and no shoes at the time of his disappearance, as per the same WSB-TV report. The urgency of Neidlinger's situation is accentuated by the recent issuance of a Mattie's Call, Georgia's emergency alert for missing individuals who are elderly or disabled.
Dozens of volunteers were seen last Saturday, canvassing the area, distributing flyers, and raising awareness; "If he’s here, we’re gonna try to look for him," his parents said in an interview obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta, expressing their desperation "to get a sighting so that we can reset the center point of where he’s at and search there." The collective effort signifies more than a mere manhunt—it symbolizes a community's resolve to reunite one of its own with the care they desperately need.
Anyone with information on Jarod Neidlinger's whereabouts is urged to contact the Snellville police at 770-985-3555.
