The search has been called off for a man who went missing eight days ago in a desert region between Taif and Al-Jumoum after Civil Defense operations failed to find any trace of the man whose car had previously been found with destroyed tires near a hill. Relatives of the man, said to be in his forties, continued to organize their own search parties Thursday and appealed to the Civil Defense to continue its operations. They have also asked that the identity of fingerprints taken from the man's abandoned vehicle be revealed. Relatives say that the incident shows “suspicious signs of a criminal nature”, citing the unusual location of the jeep left at the foot of the hill and reports from a local shepherd who says he saw the jeep prior to it breaking down and the man being reported missing. Authorities in Taif and Al-Jumoum had conducted an extensive sweep of the area involving search parties on the ground and helicopters.
