UPDATE: Cops, canines and civilians team up to search for missing CDC epidemiologist

Authorities in Georgia have teamed up with locals to stage a wide-scale search party in hopes of finding a 35-year-old man reported missing nearly a month ago.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Timothy J. Cunningham had recently been turned down for a promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he was employed as an epidemiologist, before he disappeared Feb. 12.

Police say he was last seen that day leaving work early amid complaints that he felt ill.

All of his identifying information and possessions were found at his residence in Atlanta, along with his pet dog and cat, according to authorities.

According to the New York Daily News, a team of local authorities and volunteers joined forces Saturday to focus on a wooded area near the Atlanta CDC building as part of the latest effort to locate Cunningham.

Reports indicate the search team came back with no sign of the missing man.

Authorities previously said they do not believe foul play was a factor in the case, though there is a cash reward available through Crime Stoppers Atlanta for anyone with information leading to an arrest in connection to Cunningham’s disappearance.

As WXIA reported, search dogs from the Alpha Team K9 Search and Rescue Group were among those participating in the weekend search.

“These dogs are trained to find people,” said the organization’s president, Gary Bonneau. “So we train all the time to disassociate critters from real people.”

Crime Stoppers Atlanta is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

[Featured image: Timothy Cunningham/Atlanta Police Department]