Search on for Ash Grove man missing for three weeks

Russell Long was last seen March 31 in Willard; never returned for truck, wallet
 
The public has been asked for assistance in locating a missing Ash Grove man. Russell Long, 39, was last seen on Wednesday, March 31, at a family member’s house on Farm Road 76 in Willard; he has not been seen nor heard from since.
Kassandra Niemeier, Long’s sister, said he spoke with their mother on the evening of his disappearance; a family member who is the last known person to see Long also spoke with him before he left.
“Our mother, Reba Long, spoke with Russell around 8 p.m. on (the night he disappeared),” Niemeier said. “Mom said that he never mentioned leaving to her, and when she came home after running an errand, Russell was gone. The ... family member also spoke with Russell before he left, claiming that Russell said a friend was coming to pick him up and he would come back later for his pickup.”
The relative also observed Long getting into the automobile he left in.
“(The) family member said they saw Russell leave in a vehicle, possibly a white SUV, from their home ... in Willard,” she said. “It was late evening. We are not for sure who he was leaving with or why.”
Long left his truck at the relative’s residence with his wallet and keys inside and the windows rolled down, something Niemeier called “highly unusual.” She also said it was highly unusual for Long to leave without saying where he was going or without checking in with family members, or not to check on his dog, Boots, whom she said he cares for deeply.
“Russell has never left without saying he would be gone for a while or at least checking in occasionally with his family,” she said. “He would always call to check in on his dog.”
Long is described as standing about six-feet tall, weighing between 180 and 190 pounds, and having brown shoulder-length hair and a long beard, Niemeier said he usually wears a ballcap with sunglasses on top, blue jeans and a t-shirt or button-up shirt with ripped-off sleeves. She added that he is outgoing and joking with people he knows and shy and reserved around people he doesn’t.
Contact with information
Anyone who has any information on Long or where he is right now is asked to call their local law enforcement agency or the Greene County Sheriff’s Office at (417)868-4040.
Niemeier said the family is urgently hoping that Long will turn up soon.
“We just want Russell to be safe, (and) we want him home,” she said. “He is loved more than he could ever imagine. Boots also misses him very much and waits by the door around night time for Russell to come home.”