JACKSON (WNE) — A missing 56-year-old man may now be in Fargo, North Dakota. Loved ones last heard from Mike Pursel in late September and are continuing to search.
In an Oct. 4 Facebook post announcing that Pursel was missing, the Jackson Police Department said he had been working at a downtown hotel.
“His last social media post was September 23,” the department wrote. “His phone goes directly to voicemail which, according to our reporting party, is very unusual for him. He has not checked in for about a week now and his family and friends are concerned.”
Pursel’s mother, California resident Linda Goeppinger, said he had been working in Jackson for three months. She said he does not have a fixed residence and preferred camping.
“He loves to camp out,” Goeppinger said. “He’s been homeless the last 20 years. He likes traveling.”
She normally hears from her son every week but last spoke to him Sept. 17, when he sounded distraught over losing his job. The hotel later told Goeppinger that it was a misunderstanding and that Pursel still had a job.
Goeppinger said that after hearing he was given a bus ticket to Fargo on Sept. 28, she thought he returned there to work the beet harvest, as he’s done before. Fargo homeless shelters and friends haven’t seen him, she said.
Anyone who has Pursel or knows his whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Jackson Police Department at 307-733-1430 and reference case 2310-0153.
 
