Austin police say missing man may be 'in danger'

Austin police are asking for help finding a man who has been missing since September 8th.

Larry Turner, 64, was last seen at a parking lot near the IHOP on South IH-35 and Slaughter Lane.

Officers said the case has taken a turn for the worse.

"Based on information conducted through interviews and other sources, we believe that Larry Turner, who was initially reported as missing, is now in danger," said Det. J.J. Schmidt with the Austin Police Department Homicide Cold Case Unit.

Police said Turner was wearing a straw cowboy hat, blue shirt, blue jeans and walking with a cane the last time anyone saw him.

"A phone call was made shortly after that, about 11:15 am, to his girlfriend / common law wife of about 19 years called Jarri Roberts. When Larry called Jarri he told her an altercation was about to take place and the call ended abruptly," Schmidt said.

Roberts told investigators she never heard from Turner again. Three days later, she picked up his white van from the IHOP parking lot.

"The difficult challenges with this case, aside from any missing person that's an adult that can't be located, or the fact that we had a delay in reporting of three days, the vehicle I discussed and the conflicting statements that have been provided to law enforcement as of this date," said Schmidt.

Police said they have since recovered the van and searched it for evidence. They believe there may have been narcotics and money involved in Turner's disappearance and they're asking for help sorting out all the details. 

"Anyone that's familiar with that area knows it's a high-traffic area during that time of day and we are certain individuals have information that could help us through the course of this investigation," said Schmidt.

Turner's case is being investigated by the Missing Persons Unit, Homicide Cold Case investigators, Texas Rangers and federal officers.

Anyone with information about Turner or his white van is asked to call Crime Stoppers or police.