The Gwinnett County police say the alert remains active for for Derek Woodston Buford, 42, of Grayson who has been missing since Aug. 22. He was noticed missing the following day when he didn't turn up at his Covington place of work. He has not made contact with anyone since.

According to  Cpl. Ed Ritter, public information officer with the Gwinnett County Police Department, there is nothing further to report at this time, but the alert for Buford remains active. He has some medical issues, which are of concern to his family since he left home without his medication. Buford was last seen driving a 2005 silver Mazda Tribute bearing Georgia tag BZK 0784.  A photo of a similar vehicle is attached.

There was concern by his family initially that Buford's case could have been one similar to the incident over the labor day weekend with the University of Georgia student, Quinton Ayers, who went missing on Sept. 1. It was later found that he had been killed in a single vehicle accident on Highway 316 not long after he was last seen. His body was only discovered after a trucker noticed it off the roadway two days later.

However, it does not appear that this remains a concern in Buford's case, but he may be in medical distress. Anyone coming into contact with him should call 911 and anyone with information on Buford’s whereabouts should contact GCPD detectives at 770-513-5300.