CINCINNATUS, N.Y. – When Nick Turshman learned that his grandfather was missing, he left his Binghamton area home to go looking for him.
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"My work has been kind enough to cover my shifts," says Turshman, who works at the intensive care unit at UHS Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City.
Turshman and family members have been looking for his grandfather, 81-year-old Alfred Turshman, since Saturday afternoon.
The elder Turshman, who has dementia, was last seen Friday afternoon in the hamlet of Cincinnatus, according to state police. He went missing from his home in the nearby Chenango County town of German last Saturday.
State Police have been using troopers, helicopters and more than a dozen k-9 search dogs to try and find Turshman. State forest rangers have also assisted with search efforts.
Simple Pleasures Cafe, a Cincinnatus eatery Alfred Turshman often frequented, has remained closed this week while the owners assist in the search efforts to locate him (Peter Blanchard/Cortland Voice)
But before authorities officially declared Alfred Turshman a missing person, Nick Turshman and family members had already began their search.
"We have our own family and friends doing a couple of assignments a day," he says. "We're just doing whatever we have to do."
Alfred Turshman (photo provided)
Turshman has launched a GoFundMe page in an effort to raise money for the Cincinnatus Emergency Squad, which has served as the headquarters for the search, and the Cincinnatus Fire Department.
"It doesn't really cover all the people we'd love to support, but its just our little way of saying thanks," Turshman said.
As of Thursday evening, the page had already raised nearly $4,500 from 74 different people.
Friday will mark seven days since Alfred Turshman was last seen, but his grandson has showed no signs of slowing down.
"We plan on going until we find no more reason to search," he said.
Signs posted in downtown Cincinnatus Thursday afternoon serve as a reminder that Alfred Turshman is still missing (photo provided)
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