As of the publishing of this story at 5:53 p.m. on Jan. 29, Michael Vagnini was still missing and police had yet to locate the vehicle he was believed to have been driving.
The Ward 2 representative on Greater Sudbury city council was reported missing to police during the evening of Saturday, Jan. 27.
Vagnini is described as: 62 years of age, male, white, 5-11 tall, 260 lbs, with short, black hair and an unshaven face.
He was last seen wearing a bright yellow hooded sweater, green pants and black running shoes.
He was driving a black 2021 Ram 1500 truck - Ontario licence plate BK 22178.
The truck’s passenger-side tail light is broken.
Vagnini was last seen in the area of Regional Road 55 and McCharles Lake Road, between Whitefish and Naughton.
Vagnini requires medications, but has none with him, according to the initial GSPS media release, which notes, “As a result, he may appear confused or disoriented."
Family and police have reported being concerned for his well-being.
Vagnini’s intended destination is unknown.
The Sudbury Freedom Convoy group posted an image of Vagnini on Facebook on Saturday from their weekly protest outside of Bell Park, in which he was seen wearing the yellow hooded sweater described by police.
GSPS has been searching for Vagnini, while a parallel search has been taking place involving multiple community members concerned for his well-being. Numerous people reported on social media that they’ve been driving around Greater Sudbury in search of Vagnini and his truck.
Police have brought out a drone to assist in the search, alongside the Search and Rescue Team and the Rural Community Response Unit.
They “have been and continue to extensively search the Walden, Lively, Naughton and Whitefish areas, however, there have not been any confirmed sightings of Michael or the vehicle,” according to their latest media release, issued at 4:33 p.m. on Monday.
GSPS also note that Vagnini is believed to have been driving his truck at the time he went missing and was “likely mobile for quite some time before the incident was reported to police.”
In a recent Facebook message thanking people for their help in trying to locate Vagnini, his partner, Janie Galipeau, noted that Vagnini does not have his cell phone with him.
The following is the known timeline of events:
- Friday evening: On Friday night, Vagnini posted on Facebook that he was looking into purchasing a fire truck and water rescue craft for Beaver Lake.
- Saturday, daytime: At some point during the day, Vagnini posed for a photo with Freedom Convoy protesters during their weekly gathering outside of Bell Park.
- Saturday evening: Vagnini was reported missing to GSPS.
- Sunday, noon: GSPS issued their first media release indicating that Vagnini is a missing person, prompting numerous community members to begin their own searches.
Greater Sudbury Police Service has requested the public’s help in locating Vagnini, and have asked that anyone with information on his or his truck’s whereabouts to phone 705-675-9171.
