Todd Payne, a 50-year-old Hamilton man who uses a wheelchair, has been missing since early Monday, Sept. 21. He was last seen leaving Quakertown Marina at Brookville Lake in his white 2009 Ford Fusion. Family members said his wheelchair was not with him when he disappeared. On Friday, searchers looked along roads between Liberty, Indiana, and his home in Hamilton, Ohio.
Payne was reportedly driving home to Hamilton after leaving the marina in Liberty, Indiana, according to the Journal-News. The outlet reports that his last confirmed sighting was around 1:30 a.m. Monday near Brookville, Indiana, in the white Fusion, headed toward Hamilton. Payne is described as 6 feet tall, about 190 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes.
A family-reported camera sighting offers a later point in the timeline: Payne’s car was seen passing Woodruff’s in Liberty at roughly 2 a.m., according to the765.com. Payne is able to drive despite using a wheelchair. The outlet reported that residents and businesses were asked to check security footage for the Fusion.
The Route Remains Unconfirmed
There is no confirmed account of where Payne’s car went after the Woodruff’s sighting. The765.com reported that it was not known whether he turned onto U.S. 27 toward College Corner or continued south on Indiana 101 toward Hamilton, leaving searchers with a broad area to check.
Organizers called for volunteers to meet at Woodruff’s in Liberty at 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 25, to search roads between Liberty and Hamilton, the765.com reported. A private search-and-rescue team was expected to join the effort. The Journal-News reported that Hamilton Police Department is leading the case.
The Wheelchair Detail
Family members told the765.com that Payne uses a wheelchair, but it was at home when he disappeared. The available accounts do not establish what happened after he left the marina.
In a separate report, Eagle Country Online also reported that Payne was last seen leaving the Quakertown Marina and Brookville Lake area for Hamilton in a white 2009 Ford Fusion.
How to Read the FBI’s Missing-Person Figures
For national context, the FBI reported that NCIC contained 93,447 active missing-person records as of Dec. 31, 2024, including 25,493 records for people under 18, or 27 percent. These are year-end active-record figures, not the number of reports entered during 2024, and they provide no information about Payne’s case, according to the FBI.
Anyone with information on Payne's whereabouts is asked to call 911 or Hamilton Police Detective Katherine Johnson, who can be reached at 513-868-5811, extension 1235, or by email at [email protected], according to the Journal-News.
