Peter Beard has been missing for nearly 72 hours.
The famed artist and photographer, who is 82 and has dementia, wandered away from his house near Deep Hollow Ranch in Montauk on Tuesday afternoon. His family last saw him at 4:40 p.m., and after they couldn't find him they reported him missing at about 6:30 p.m.
Over time the search has been scaled back. "Certainly, as the hours turn to days the likelihood of a successful outcome diminishes, and we are keenly aware of that," East Hampton Town Police Capt. Chris Anderson said on Friday morning.
On Wednesday, police used helicopters, drones, and K-9 units as police officers and fire personnel searched the woods and coastline. Officers also went house to house looking for any sign of Mr. Beard.
Police are now using data from GPS devices to create a map overlay to double check the territory to make sure that there were no spots that were missed, Captain Anderson said.
"We are following up on a few of the tips that have come in," he said. Police have gleaned little info so far, however. "We have not gained any information from our tipsters to date that has been of investigative value."