Beloved Tucker High School volunteer missing; urgent search underway

TUCKER, Ga. - James "Bud" King was last seen on Saturday at an Applebee's in Tucker.

The 57-year-old has volunteered for Tucker High School athletics for decades. 

On Thursday, friends and family members of Bud searched in the wooded areas off of Memorial Drive in Decatur.

The group passes around flyers with his picture on it, hoping someone remembers seeing him.

"We're hoping and praying that he's still alive somewhere and that he's not lying in a ditch, hurt or suffering or that someone has done something bad to him. We just want our family home," said Richard King, Bud's nephew.

He says his uncle was last seen getting on a MARTA bus at 11:11 p.m. Saturday after eating at the Applebee's on Lawrenceville Highway in Tucker.

"Everyone knows him, is aware of him, but no one has seen him since Saturday night," King said. 

King says Bud normally takes that bus to the Applebee’s on Memorial Drive in Decatur, which is near his home.

That's where the search party gathered Thursday.

"Bud is family and I don't take that word for granted," said James Hartry, Tucker High School’s Boys Basketball Head Coach. 

James "Bud" King 

Hartry has coached at the school for the past 24 years and says Bud has been with him since day one.

"Bud kept my stats, even the other team's stats as well, and just about anybody in the state’s stats. He was a big part of my program, he was my guy," Hartry said. 

Bud volunteers for almost every sports team at Tucker High School.

"The entire Tucker community is worried about him… Bud was a fixture in all the sports...he's a Tiger," Hartry said. 

King says they're not going to stop looking for Bud until he’s found, but they need people's help.

"If anybody has caught a glimpse of Bud, we just want our family home. We love him. We're worried about him. Please, if you see him, call 911. Keep us in your prayers and keep looking for him," King said.