Family rents helicopter to search for missing motorcyclist

ST. PETE BEACH (FOX 13) - It’s been five days of worry and wondering for the family of Jimmy Butler.

The 27-year-old hasn't been seen or heard from since Sunday.

He was expected to come home after a bike event at St. Pete Beach, but he never showed up.

Now his family is asking for help, saying it’s unlike him to just disappear.

They have been searching non-stop since Sunday - printing signs and re-tracing Butler's last known whereabouts. They even rented a helicopter to help with the search.

They say they're determined to find him and won't give up until they do.

Katie Ayers/boyfriend missing since Sunday

"Come home. Bring my boyfriend home. Help me find him."

Butler’s girlfriend, Katie Ayers says they were together the night he disappeared. Ayres says Bulter had been drinking and she tried to get him to ride home with her, but he refused.

Instead, he took off on his white, 2002 Honda F-4-I motorcycle.

"He kept telling me he was fine that's why he wanted to take the bike home so I assumed he was going to be okay and he was going to make it home," Ayres said.

She went to bed assuming her boyfriend was just a few minutes behind but when she woke up she couldn't find him, his motorcycle, or his cell phone.

"I've looked for bike pieces. I've walked the Skyway. I've checked all rest areas. I've flown in a helicopter," Ayres said. "I'm not going to stop until I find something. I have to have something by the end of this."

Ayers, along with Butler's parents, Jennifer and Reed are printing up hundreds of missing flyers, hoping to jog the memory of someone who may have seen him.

"He would never ever miss work. He would never miss dinner at home. This is not right. We need some answers. Anything to help bring him home," Jennifer Butler said.

The family is now working on accessing Butler's iCloud account to try and track down the last known location of his cell phone.

The family skipped the Thanksgiving holiday to focus on the search.

"Last night I was supposed to be baking his favorite apple pie like I always do, but we're just so exhausted," Jennifer said.

"We ended up giving the turkey away," Reid added.

The family has filed a missing person's report and is asking anyone with information to call the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.