Leslie Draper thought nothing of it when she saw the bathroom light go on and off again late Thursday night in the Corinth, Texas, home she shares with her husband, Kenneth.
Listening to an audio book in bed, Leslie fell asleep with her headphones in, family members told Dateline NBC on Monday. When she awoke the next morning around 6:30 a.m., she found no sign of her husband.
Ken Draper’s vehicle remained parked outside the couple’s home. Their dog, who Ken occasionally woke early to take for a walk, was still inside, as were all of his personal belongings.
"She was alarmed and called one of her friends, but tried not to panic right then," Gail Percle, Ken Draper's sister-in-law, said of Leslie Draper. "But when she got home at 12:30 or so later that afternoon, he still wasn't home. That's when she called police."
Family members also sprung into action, spreading word of Ken Draper’s disappearance.
The Corinth Police Department joined the search for Ken Draper, who Percle described as a reserved man who has a large network of friends and family. He is also a man who will "talk your ear off" about something he's excited about.
That excitement extended to plans he and Leslie had to head to North Carolina on Friday for a solar eclipse-watching trip.
That's what makes his disappearance even more frightening, Percle told Dateline.
"They had a house rented and friends coming," Percle told the news show. "He loves that sort of stuff. He's a bit nerdy, loves science and stuff. It sounded like he was really looking forward to seeing it."
Greg Wilkerson, assistant chief of the Corinth Police Department, told Dateline that investigators do not suspect foul play, but are concerned for Ken Draper’s safety.
“We’ve tracked down every possible lead, but there has been nothing,” Wilkerson said. “We’re hoping someone sees his picture and recognizes him and calls us. And we can intervene and offer help to him if he needs it.”
Kenneth Harlen Draper is 53 years old, according to the Corinth Police Department. He is 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds.
He has brown hair, blue eyes, a goatee and tattoos of a dragon and a cloud with a lightning bolt on his shoulders, department officials said on Facebook.
Anyone with information about Draper’s whereabouts is asked to call the Corinth Police Department at 940-349-1600, Option 9, or to call 911.
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