‘No answers’: Family of missing Washington County man continues the search

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WKRN) — Loved ones are still searching for a man they believe was swept away in floodwaters brought on by Hurricane Helene.

There was a third search effort for Steve Cloyd over the weekend, but there still weren't any answers. His wife of 36 years, Keli Cloyd, told News 2 that it's been a nightmare.

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"We're still where we were six-and-a-half weeks ago," Keli said. "No answers. Steve's still missing."

Keli believes Steve was swept away while sitting in his Jeep outside their Washington County home on Sept. 27. She said that the last text she received from him was marked at 2:48 p.m. that day.

He said "I love you" and expressed that he may not make it out alive because of the rising flood waters. The Jeep was found less than a mile from their house.

"For us to pinpoint a particular location where Steve could possibly be, it's literally a needle-in the-haystack kind of thing," Keli added.

Keli said that search parties have exhausted the areas around their home and that they would need heavy-duty equipment to keep looking through the debris.

"All search efforts have been from private individuals, private search-and-rescue teams — literally no help from the state," Keli said. "Nothing."

"It's so high in some spots that, I hate to say it, but you lose hope," their son Matthew Cloyd said. "Because you don't really know how you could actually even see through that mud to see if there's even anything in there."

Matthew added that through this emotional process, friends and even strangers have become family.

"We lost track at like 15 different license plate states. The whole Appalachian area. We had people from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania."

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"Sunday may not have turned up any body, Steve or anyone else, but it did do something," Keli said. "We have a whole lot of honorary Cloyd members right now and that means a lot to us."

At the same time that Keli is continuing the search for Steve, she is rebuilding her home, which was also lost in the flood.