ST. MARTINVILLE, La. (KLFY) The search continues for a missing St. Martinville man with dementia.

Albert Willis, Jr. was last seen by family members on June 18.

A pond near his home on Knight St. was drained on Wednesday.

The pond is now the focus of the search after the City of St. Martinville brought in the hardware to pump out the water.

Two weeks ago, search dogs hit on something possibly located in area at the edge of the pond. People helping with the search used a boat to get to the center of the pond, poking and dragging the muddy bottom.

“What we see is mud, and slush, and baby alligators creeping around,” said brother David Willis.

“We don’t want to go too far into this pond. We don’t want to run into the mother alligator.”

It is widely known that there are alligators and snakes in and around the pond but officials say they will continue to search despite the danger.

“Whatever God has planned. If he’s out there. He’s alive or deceased. We just want closure. That’s our main focus. Once we get closure on this case, we can go on with our lives. It’s not like we forget about Albert. He will never be forgotten. Especially by me,” Willis said.