Decades-Old Missing Person Case Solved After Surprising Hospital Visit
In a remarkable turn of events that reads like a detective novel, a 25-year-old missing person case has been solved through an unlikely combination of modern media, sisterly intuition and determined law enforcement work.
The breakthrough began on November 22 when a woman, browsing through USA Today, spotted an article about a mysterious nonverbal patient at a Los Angeles hospital.
USA Today reported that the man had been discovered in South L.A. on April 15 and admitted to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, California, where medical staff struggled to identify him.
The patient, described as a man in his mid-60s standing 6’1″ and weighing approximately 125 pounds, had been unable to communicate any information about himself.
Due to patient confidentiality laws, hospital staff could provide only limited details about his condition or circumstances.
Lassen County Times reported that for the woman reading the article, however, these sparse details sparked immediate recognition.
The description matched her brother, who had vanished without a trace from Doyle, California, in 1999.
Acting on this potential lead, she quickly contacted the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputy Derek Kennemore, who received the call, embarked on what would become a complex investigation.
His initial attempts to locate the patient at St. Francis Medical Center hit a roadblock – the man had been transferred to another facility in July.
Undeterred, Kennemore tracked the patient to his new location.
Collaborating with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit, Kennemore arranged for a detective to visit the facility.
The Mirror reported that the breakthrough came when the LAPD detective obtained the patient’s fingerprints, which confirmed what the sister had suspected – the mysterious patient was indeed her long-lost brother.
“The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office would like to commend Deputy Kennemore on his tenacity with this case,” LCSO Captain Mike Carney announced on Facebook, per The Western Journal.
Kennemore also expressed gratitude to the Los Angeles Police Department for their assistance in resolving this quarter-century-old mystery.
The case represents a remarkable confluence of circumstances: a hospital’s public appeal for help, a sister’s unwavering hope and law enforcement’s persistent investigation.
While the family hasn’t seen their loved one since his disappearance in 1999, the Journal noted that plans are underway for a reunion.
To protect the privacy of all involved, authorities are withholding the identities of the man and his family members.
Earlier this year, TTOA reported on a retired police lieutenant who was reunited with a baby he had found left in a box during one of his most bizarre cases.
The lieutenant had remained curious about the fate of the child for more than two decades as records remained sealed, leaving him without closure.
One day he received an unexpected phone call from a colleague, prompting a memory from the past: the case of an abandoned infant left in a cardboard box.
And he [the officer] said, ‘he’s [the baby] sitting next to me, he’s my rookie,’” the now-retired lieutenant revealed to CBS Sunday Morning.
The rookie in question, as it turns out, was none other than Matthew Hegedus-Stewart, the very infant rescued from that cardboard box.
Adopted after his rescue, “Baby Jesus” Hegedus-Stewart had always been aware of his origin story but only made the connection to the lieutenant upon joining the police force.
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Leave a Comment