The phone of a missing man scheduled to graduate from Howard University this weekend was briefly electronically located in a Montgomery County park Wednesday, authorities said.
Lance Calvin Buckley, 33, of Stafford County, Virginia, has been missing for more than two days.
He is the father of a 12-day-old baby girl and a 3-year-old daughter.
Stafford County authorities said on Thursday that Buckley's phone pinged a day earlier in the area of Blockhouse Point Conservation Park near Darnestown, Maryland. Montgomery County Police searched the area, but didn't find him.
Buckley's family last saw him around 7:10 a.m. Tuesday when he was dropped off at the Staffordboro Commuter Lot, where he uses a slug line to commute to Howard University. "Sluggers" are commuters who wait for rides from strangers who can then use the high-occupancy vehicle lanes.
Police say Buckley, a PhD. student at the university, was on his way to campus to pick up graduation materials.
The Stafford County Sheriff's Office said Buckley used an ATM after arriving in D.C. At 10:16 a.m., he apparently sent his wife, Amy, a text message. Authorities say the contents indicated it did come from him, and that the text was sent from the area of Howard University.
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No one has heard from Buckley since then. He never showed up for a scheduled meeting at noon Tuesday.
Authorities say it's out of character for him not to keep in contact with his family during the day.
"We're pleading with anyone who has seen him or had any interaction with him or thought that they saw him that they contact the police and let them know," said Buckley's mother, Loretta.
In a statement released Wednesday, Howard University says they are "cooperating fully" with authorities.
Buckley is 5 feet, 11 inches tall, weighs 150 pounds and has brown hair. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a dark T-shirt and gray Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers.
He may be in possession of a handgun, but is not a danger to anyone, the Stafford County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.
If you have seen Lance Buckley, call police at 540-659-2020.
