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Police ask public's help to find teen Seventeen-year-old Tommy Kelly was last seen Jan. 26 on the deck of his parents' house on Coleman Creek Road in Phoenix. They had last heard him say, "Hi, Dad." But an hour later and about a mile away, the teenager was seen running on Pioneer Road, covered in mud and with his face torn and bloodied by blackberry bushes. Tommy ran up to one man, begged the man to hide him in his house and said, "They're after me." The man went into his house to call for help, but Tommy kept running, and ran up to another man on Pioneer Road to make the same plea, his mother, Vicki Kelly, said Thursday. "He was in fear of his life," said Kelly, who is "totally baffled" by his disappearance. The teen didn't take his wallet with him, or any identification or clothing. He left behind his pager, which he always carries. His parents have contacted every friend of Tommy's they know of, and nobody has seen him or had contact with him. "It was just like he was here one minute, and then vanished," his mother said. Police say there's still no evidence of foul play. The Jackson County sheriff's department made a plea to the public Thursday, issuing Tommy's picture and asking the public's help in finding him. Delayed by snowfall, deputies began searching for him Thursday in the rural area southwest of Phoenix. Tommy's friends have also been up searching at Anderson Butte. Police are asking that people who live in the area bordered by Pioneer, Dark Hollow, Coleman Creek, Voorhies and Carpenter Hill roads to check in sheds, outbuildings, thickets and other hiding places for the missing teen. Tommy is white, 17 years old, stands 5-feet-8 and weighs 170 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing light-colored jeans, a blue shirt and black Nikes. Tommy's father, Tom Kelly, said the family is willing to pay someone with a bloodhound-type dog that can sniff through snow; they can be reached at 535-5184. The family is also offering a minimum $500 reward for information leading to Tommy's return. Anyone who has seen Tommy is asked to call the sheriff's department at 774-6801 and ask for detective Hugh Crawford. "We want our son back," Vicki Kelly said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA