Jon, 44, was last seen in Dalmore on Tuesday last week wearing brown shorts and a charcoal hoodie.
The man’s stepfather, who did not wish to be named, told the Otago Daily Times that family, friends, two LandSAR volunteers and two dogs had searched around North Dunedin yesterday.
"Well, the bottom line is we did not have any success yesterday, but the search in actual fact went really well."
The group broke into small groups, had road watches, swept through a large area of North Dunedin and had LandSAR dogs on the trail as well.
So far, the searches had not been fruitful, but he was thankful for the police response and support.
The stepfather said Jon was very recognisable in the North East Valley area, due to the amount of time he spent walking back and forth between the university campus and Normanby.
He often called in to cafes and shops with his son and walked his dog up and down North Rd.
"That was his neighbourhood for 14 years. He would just go about his life like any other person."
The stepfather said the family had an idea of why he had gone missing and said it was "definitely stress-related".
They were remaining optimistic and "stoic" as the search continued, he said.
He urged the public to stay on the lookout for Jon.
"Please keep your eyes open in the wider Dunedin area."
He said the posters had helped and they had received a few calls, and urged the public to keep the calls coming in if they spotted anything.
Yesterday, police released a CCTV image of Jon, taken in Castle St the day after his disappearance.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said the man’s vehicle, a white Nissan Bluebird, was found in the North East Valley area, near Chingford Park, on Monday.
The discovery sparked a search and rescue operation of the park and the surrounding area on Tuesday, Snr Sgt Bond said.
Police were yet to determine a precise location of where to look, and were continuing in their appeal to the public for information.
"We’re waiting to hear from the public, and then we’ll assess every bit of information as it comes in."
Snr Sgt Bond said police were in the process of contacting the man’s bank to determine if there had been any recent transactions.
Police were also in possession of his cellphone and would search the device for information that could aid in their search.
Police were following lines of inquiry, he said.
- Anyone with information on the man’s whereabouts or with CCTV footage are urged to contact police on 111 and quote file number 240317/7508.
