Leelanau Sheriff's Office Searching For Missing Person

The Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office put out a bulletin on Tuesday afternoon asking for the public’s assistance in finding a missing person. The person in question is a 25-year-old man named Nicholas Wiesen Bentzien and he as drives a dark green 1997 Nissan Pathfinder.

On Saturday, May 4, the Sheriff’s Office “took a report of a missing person from the 11000 block of Lake Street in the Empire area.” According to the report, Bentzien was last seen “in the afternoon hours” of Friday, May 3, “after leaving his job early for the day.”

“After a short visit home, [Bentzien] departed in his 1997 Nissan Pathfinder, dark green in color, with MI registration DDW244,” the Sheriff’s Office bulletin notes. “The vehicle paint is weathered and peeling on the hood. Bentzien has not been seen or heard from since that afternoon.”

Anyone with information about Bentzien or his vehicle is asked to contact Leelanau County Dispatch at 231-256-8800.

UPDATE: The Sheriff's Office has shared that, "at approximately 11:00 am" on Wednesday, May 8, "Mr. Bentzien was found deceased in Northern Leelanau Township." Law enforcement is continuing its investigation of the case.

Pictured: Bentzien (left) and his car (right). Please note that, per the Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle “does not possess the Oregon plate displayed.”