BISMARCK – The hunt for a missing Bismarck man, Lloyd Liken, 81, has entered a new phase after more than two weeks of searching by law enforcement agencies and volunteers throughout western North Dakota.

A recent post by nonprofit organization Badlands Search and Rescue Service said that despite the collective efforts of those involved to search and canvas around Bismarck and the region, the time had come to scale back and shift its approach. The statement indicated the continued search would hone in on already canvassed areas in several counties.

Volunteers have been meeting at McCabe United Methodist Church in Bismarck, coordinating search efforts that have extended beyond Bismarck to as far south as Mott and Bowman. A meeting was held at Gate City Bank in Minot last week to organize a search of Ward County roadways, but search organizer Sonja Murray said they don’t have any plans for additional searches in the Minot area at this time as their efforts are scaled back.

Liken was reported missing on Nov. 16 after leaving a residence in Bismarck, with the last reported sighting of his vehicle coming from a McLean County deputy who ran his vehicle’s plates on U.S. Highway 83 north of Bismarck between Washburn and Wilton. Liken’s family indicated he had become lost twice in recent days before he went missing.

A Red Alert was circulated by law enforcement on Nov. 20, in lieu of a Silver Alert, which requires a medical diagnosis for conditions such Alzheimer’s or dementia. The search for Liken has been further complicated by a lack of a paper trail, as Liken reportedly does not have a cell phone or a debit card.