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Tyler Weathersby case needs ‘tips of value,’ not ‘entertainment,’ Sioux Falls chief warns

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Tyler Weathersby case needs ‘tips of value,’ not ‘entertainment,’ Sioux Falls chief warns

Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum said Monday morning that he wanted to focus on “tips of value” in the ongoing search for Tyler Weathersby, while also warning the public away from treating the case as “entertainment.”

Thum told media at Monday’s police briefing that the case had gained public attention “like few cases have” in Sioux Falls, and said he wanted to let people know that they have followed up on numerous leads, none of which have given any indication of criminal action.

That doesn’t mean they’ve ruled the possibility out, or aren’t investigating with that in mind, he said. They’re just investigating, which looks largely the same no matter what the outcome of the case may be, he added.

Thum said police continue to work with both Weathersby’s family and a private investigator the family has since hired, adding everyone has been cooperative since Weathersby went missing on the morning of Sept. 4, when he reportedly left his home without his phone or wallet.

What he wanted from the public, Thum said, were “tips of value” — not theories, or suggestions, but hard information that someone knows or has seen, adding that he believed there were people in the community who had that kind of information.

He also asked people to please stop calling them with a reports of a man in the area of Russell Street and Kiwanis Avenue, saying that the man who police have been sent to “repeatedly” is not Weathersby.

Thum also asked the public to be respectful as they interacted and spoke about the case.

“This is a very real case,” Thum said. “Tyler has friends, family and loved ones who care about him deeply. For some of the public, this has become internet sleuthing, or real crime drama or entertainment.”

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