Print edition: 
Bel Aire police said today that they suspect foul play in the March disappearance of an 82-year-old man.
William L. Howell was last seen about 3:30 p.m. March 5 at the Bel Aire Recreation Center.
Detective Craig Pentecost said Howell often hitchhiked into Wichita and rode buses to visit friends in the 900 block of North Topeka.
"Every once in a while he would be gone overnight, but never for this long," Pentecost said. "Due to the length of time involved, we're suspecting foul play."
Howell is 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighs 140 pounds, has brown eyes and short gray hair and walks with a limp or cane. He was last seen wearing a tan jacket and white tennis shoes.
Howell is fluent in Spanish and has been known to frequent Hispanic neighborhoods, Pentecost said. He is diabetic and insulin dependent.
Howell's family is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone offering information that leads to Howell's whereabouts or the arrest of the person or persons responsible for his disappearance.
Crime Stoppers of Wichita/Sedgwick County also is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Bel Aire police at 316-744-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.
