GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A West Michigan family is asking the public for help locating a missing Grand Rapids man who was last seen a week ago.

Timothy Groenhout was last seen Wednesday, Jan. 21, in downtown Grand Rapids.

Timothy Groenhout, 39, was last seen walking in downtown Grand Rapids about 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, according to his sister Jessica Venlet. Groenhout had recently moved back to the Grand Rapids area from Washington and was living with his girlfriend prior to disappearing, his sister said.

Venlet said her brother was planning to cash a check at a Grand Rapids bank the day he went missing. Groenhout has yet to cash the check, and he never made it to a scheduled appointment later in the day, his sister said.

“While my brother has sought solitude in the past,” Venlet said, “he has always talked to at least one family member or friend no matter where he was.”

Grand Rapids Police Lt. Patrick Merrill said Groenhout was officially reported missing Saturday, Jan. 24. Earlier this week, Groenhout's parents and girlfriend met with detectives to discuss the situation.

Since failing to return home Wednesday evening, Groenhout has not been reachable by his phone and has not made contact with any family or friends since last week. Venlet noted her brother likely didn't have much money on him since he was traveling to cash a check, and he didn't leave the house with anything to indicate he planned to be gone for a prolonged period of time.

Groenhout is described as white, 6-foot-1, 175 pounds. He was last seen wearing black clothing and a large black backpack. He also had recently shaved both his head and beard, family members reported.

Anyone with information on Groenhout is asked to contact Grand Rapids Police Department at 616-456-3403.

RJ Wolcott is a reporter for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Contact him at 616-970-8881, or by email at rwolcott@mlive.com