WINCHESTER, Ky. (LEX 18) — Winchester police are asking for the public's help in a 20-year-old cold case involving Thomas Profitt, who disappeared on May 3, 2006, and has never been found.
Profitt was last seen driving his maroon 1997 Buick Century. Detectives say he was supposed to visit his daughter in Lexington that day but never arrived. His family said this behavior was completely out of character for him.
"He wouldn't leave and not pick up his paycheck, not have contact with us. He always had contact with us," one of his daughters told LEX 18 in 2006, less than a month after he disappeared.
Detective Mike Keffer is now working the unsolved case. He believes someone in the community may have helpful information.
"I want to bring closure to the family. I know they're wondering what happened, and they deserve to know," Keffer said.
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Nearly 20 years later, police still searching for missing Thomas 'Tom' Profitt
Early in the investigation, police told LEX 18 they suspected foul play when they discovered Profitt had made no credit card transactions and his cell phone hadn't been used since the day of his disappearance.
In 2014, a tip about a vehicle led police and firefighters to search the Kentucky River near the Boonesboro Bridge using sonar equipment, but that search didn't yield any information about Profitt's whereabouts.
Detective Keffer is particularly interested in information about Profitt's maroon Buick Century, which has never been located.
"Keep in mind that vehicle, just in case it was somewhere on some property, and someone had seen it, and no one pays any mind to it. Overlooks it and says, oh yeah, there's a red sedan sitting over there on whatever property," Keffer said.
He believes even the smallest clue could lead investigators in the right direction after two decades.
"The family deserves closure, and of course we want to close it as a community," Keffer said.
Anyone with information about Thomas Profitt can call the Winchester Police tipline at 859-355-7443 or contact Detective Keffer directly at 859-355-7458. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
