Search party held for missing Johnstown man, police say warrant out for his arrest

CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WJAC) — Saturday morning, community members went on another hunt for Lucas Cornelius of Johnstown, who relatives say went missing on July 27th, 2021.

"It definitely was something unexpected -- cause he's always in contact -- especially with his mother. He never just disappears."

That's what Chynel Harfield told 6 News at the search party at the Jim Mayer Riverswalk Trail in Moxham.

"This was the last area that he was seen in. This was a place where we hung out a lot," Chynel told 6 News.

She said Lucas was her 'high school sweetheart' and that they share children together.

"He was a great person. He was definitely loved by many people. He just struggled," Chynel told 6 News.

Chynel said she wishes the Johnstown Police Department would do more to find Lucas.

"We're just trying to get the word out there, because the cops really aren't doing much. I don't think anything is going to get done unless we do take it into our own hands," she told 6 News.

Johnstown Police have been investigating his disappearance -- not only because of his missing persons report -- but also because of warrants out for his arrest.

The following statement was sent to 6 News in an email from Johnstown Police Chief Richard Pritchard on Friday:

We received a missing person report from Margaret Cornelius on September 3, 2021. A supplemental report was generated on September 24, 2021, and BCI completed an supplemental report November 3, 2021 regarding a prison interview in which a female indicated she had spoken to a friend of Mr. Cornelius who said he saw Cornelius “A few Days Ago, he’s mad at me.All leads were followed-up and have been exhausted. We ran a check on Mr. Cornelius today (Friday), using various sources and found there has been no recent activity. BCI Detectives also spoke with a known associate today (Friday), who indicated that Cornelius went to hide-out in the woods because there were warrants for him and he did not want to go back to jail.Mr. Cornelius is currently listed as wanted and missing in the NCIC system. We welcome any information regarding the whereabouts of Mr. Cornelius.

Chynel cites the Facebook group "Bring Luke Home," an online fundraising group, and flyers around the community as a way to spread the message.

"I'm hoping honestly that we find him, or at least more type of clues, to lead us in the right direction. If he's gone, we just want to bring closure to us and the family, and put him to rest like he deserves," she said.

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