ATLANTA (WXIA) — Police are searching for Nathan Smith, the 27-year-old son of Atlanta rapper and producer Lil Jon.
Smith was last seen running out of his home along Baldwin Drive on Feb. 3, near downtown Milton.
The focus of the search has been in Mayfield Park. It's a five-acre property with trails and a retention pond.
Law enforcement agencies from across metro Atlanta and north Georgia are assisting Milton Police with a vareity of resources, including tracking canines.
On Thursday, officers could be seen focusing on the retention pond. Officers were walking the perimeter and other officers were staged on a dock, using technology to assist in searching the pond.
Smith, known to many outside his family as DJ Young Slade, ran from his home around 6 a.m. Feb. 3, just a few hundred feet from a neighborhood pond where law enforcement has concentrated search efforts.
Authorities have released few details about the circumstances surrounding Smith’s disappearance. Police have not said whether video captured him leaving the home, though a Ring doorbell camera was visible at the residence.
Milton Police created a missing person flyer, which said Smith may be disoriented and in need of help.
Family and friends have been coming and going from the home as concern grows. The family is asking for prayers and privacy as the search continues.
On social media, Smith’s last visible post appears to be from Jan. 9, when he shared a photo from Jingle Ball at State Farm Arena alongside rapper Lil Bow Wow.
At a nearby gas station, a flyer printed by Smith’s mother asks the public for help in the search. In the message, she urged people to check security cameras and wrote that any help “would mean more than I can say,” thanking the community for keeping her family in their prayers.
While police continue their work, hope remains high in this Milton neighborhood. Many here are watching, waiting and praying for Smith’s safe return.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
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