Witness Described Man Seen Driving Missing Vermont Couple's Car

June 15, 2011— -- The search for a missing Vermont couple is focused on a long-haired man who was spotted driving their car the day after they disappeared, police said today.

Police issued a sketch of the man who was described to them by a citizen who saw the man on Thursday driving a green Saturn that belonged to Bill and Lorraine Currier. He was spotted driving on Pearl Street in Essex Junction, where the Curriers lived.

Officials are asking the public to help identify the person in the sketch.

The couple was last seen on Wednesday, June 8, around 5 p.m. Police found their car Friday, June 10, abandoned in an apartment building's parking lot, about a mile from their home.

They were reported missing by Bill Currier's sister, Diana Smith, on Thursday.

So far, the sketch has generated several leads.

"We've got dozens of calls. All those are going to our detectives and they're going to follow up on all of them," Essex police Lt. Robin Hollwedell told ABCNews.com.

Police Release Sketch of Man Seen Driving Car Belonging to Missing Vermont Couple

Smith told ABCNews.com Tuesday, "We're praying for their safe return."

The Curriers live in a fairly tight community with a population of 19,716, and their absence was noticed immediately.

When Lorraine didn't show up for work on Thursday, Hollwedell said the people she worked with were concerned. Police contacted Bill's employer and found he wasn't at work either.

Bill Currier, 49, is an animal care technician at the University of Vermont, and Lorraine Currier, 55, works at Fletcher Allen Health Care.

Hollwedell said they weren't the kind of people who didn't call in if they were going to miss work.

"They were very good about being at work, didn't take a lot of time off," he said. "The fact that they've completely disappeared, none of it seems to make any sense. When two good people disappear from town with seemingly no explanation, that's a concern for us."

They consider the couple's disappearance suspicious, in part because police say they appear to have left behind their daily medication.

Police told the Associated Press the bank accounts of the couple, as well as the mobile phones registered to William and Lorraine Currier, have not been used.

Neighbor Edwin Shipley, 72, who lives two houses down from the Curriers, said the couple moved into the neighborhood about five years ago. Occasionally he exchanged small talk with Bill Currier, describing him as "a quiet kind of guy, but friendly enough."

"We're all pretty perplexed about it," he said.

Wendy James, 57, a high school teacher who lives near the Curriers said the couple's disappearance has been upsetting. She remembered they always celebrated the holidays with a lot of decorations, particularly at Christmas.

"It's disconcerting and troubling because it's a pretty quiet, friendly neighborhood," she said.

Anyone with information about the couple or the man in the sketch should call the Essex, Vt. Police Department at 802-878-8331.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.