Search continues for missing snowmobiler

Volunteers turned out by the dozens again on Wednesday to help search efforts for a missing snowmobiler.

Martin Davis, 52, spoke with his girlfriend Sunday and said he was going for a short ride.  Davis lives on Club Road S.W. about halfway between The Eastern Iowa Airport and the Airport National Golf Course.

Searchers at first believed he rode towards a bar using snowmobile trails and back roads.  Now they're not so sure and the search Wednesday focused closer to the missing man's home.

Tiffany Koss, Davis' girlfriend, said “not necessarily south of here.  They're looking in the Kirkwood area, Worthington Acres--anywhere around that's close to where there's trails where he could have gone off...any little pond.”

The search parties Wednesday included at least 30 employees from Clipper Windpower in Cedar Rapids. Marty Davis is a maintenance man at that company, which manufactures windpower components. The company allowed employees to join the search on company time.

Mike Jolliff, a Clipper supervisor, said “the company actually ok'd us time to come out and take care of this because he's one of our teammates.”

The Linn and Johnson County sheriff's departments, as well as the Iowa State Patrol, are helping coordinate search efforts and direct volunteers.  The Iowa State Patrol aircraft conducted an aerial search for a second straight day.  Family and friends also contracted with a local helicopter pilot to join the search Wednesday afternoon.

While the search on Wednesday moved back towards the missing man's home all-terrain vehicles riders again rode  on trails and fields within a 10 mile radius.

Davis' girlfriend, Tiffany Koss, told TV9 that Davis left the lights on, the television on and the house unlocked--so that's why she assumed he was only taking a short snowmobile trip. Davis was wearing appropriate winter clothing for such a ride,  but had not taken the heavy clothing necessary for an extended snowmobile trip, Koss said.

Marty Davis was riding a yellow snowmobile and wearing dark clothing and a dark helmet. He is a brother of well-known former Hawkeye wrestler Barry Davis, who is now the University of Wisconsin wrestling coach. Davis arrived Monday to help in the search for the missing man.

Dave Franzman, KCRG-TV