BUFORD / GwinnettDaillyPost / — The first wave of volunteers gathered at the “command center” — a sort of hybrid warehouse and workshop at the rear of a local prosthetics company — well before the pre-established meeting time of 9 a.m. Huddled in layers of jackets and other cold-weather gear, the three dozen or so men and women were briefed by Trace Sargent, a nationally known search and rescue expert.
Friday marked the fifth day of searching for Nash, a 25-year-old Georgia Gwinnett College student last seen early Monday morning inside his home on Buford’s Jimmy Dodd Road. All signs suggest that Nash left on his own accord — there were no signs of forced entry and his wallet, phone, keys and car were left at the residence — but the clues stop there.
On Friday, the efforts to bring Nash home were refocused on several levels. Alongside members of the Gwinnett County Police Department and sheriff’s office, Sargent orchestrated volunteer-centric ground searches in the neighborhoods and wooded areas in a five-mile radius around Nash’s home. Separated in groups, the volunteers fanned out to specific sectors to search and go door-to-door with flyers.

Helicopter searches of nearby Lake Lanier were scheduled to be carried out by GCPD.
Behind the scenes, private investigator TJ Ward was working other angles. Ward — perhaps best known for his involvement in the Natalee Holloway missing persons investigation — was contacted by the Nash family on Wednesday and asked to work parallel to local law enforcement.
Anyone with information regarding Nash or his whereabouts can contact Gwinnett County police at 770-513-5300; the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office at 770-619-6655; Ward at 678-356-0146; or the Nash family at kellynashmissing@gmail.com.
Updates can be found on Facebook at the page titled “Kelly Nash Missing.” The family has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Nash’s return.