Police: Foul play not suspected in Coralville man's disappearance

Editor's note: Officials reported Wednesday that Graham was found at a hotel in Omaha and is safe with Omaha police.

Police do not suspect foul play in the disappearance of a Coralville man who was last seen Monday near his work in North Liberty.

Authorities are continuing to search for Michael David Graham, 37, who was last seen near his work at 7 Hawkeye Drive in North Liberty on Monday, according to an updated North Liberty Police Department news release Tuesday afternoon.

In an earlier news release Tuesday morning, North Liberty police said they were told by family members that Graham sent text messages saying he was tied up and forced into the trunk of his car. Police said at the time that the last known location of his cellphone came at about 1 p.m. Monday, near the intersection of Keokuk-Washington Road and 265th Street near Keota, about an hour's drive southwest of Iowa City.

But the updated news release was more vague, saying only that the police department is continuing to follow up on several tips in the search for Graham.

"Family members have recently received text messages from Graham's phone number. At this time, his location is still unknown and the circumstances of his disappearance cannot be confirmed," the updated release states.

North Liberty Police Chief Diane Venenga said in an email Tuesday that police do not suspect foul play in Graham's disappearance.

Graham is a white man with brown hair (shaved) and brown eyes. He is 5-foot-7 and weighs about 165 pounds, according to the release.

Graham's car is a black, four-door 2016 Volkswagen Jetta with the Iowa license plate number ELL 592, police said.

In a widely-shared Facebook post Monday, Graham's wife, Jill Graham, asked for help finding her husband and noted that family and police have been unable to find his Volkswagen, leading them to assume he is with it.

"He has four children and a wife who are beyond eager to have him home with us," Jill Graham wrote in the post.

In an update to the post, Jill Graham noted that some people online have been skeptical about the details of her husband's disappearance. But, she wrote, "unfortunately, this nightmare is actually happening."

Anyone with information about Graham's location should contact their local law enforcement agency, or the Johnson County Joint Emergency Communications Center at (319) 356-6800.

Reach Stephen Gruber-Miller at 319-887-5407 or sgrubermil@press-citizen.com. Follow him on Twitter: @sgrubermiller.