A long-lost California man who went missing 25 years ago is set to be reunited with his family after his sister saw a picture of him in a news article.
The unidentified adult had gone missing from Doyle, California, in 1999 for unclear reasons.
For over two decades, no one including his family had heard from the six feet tall man, who is now believed to be in his mid-60s.
But on April 15, he was discovered in South Los Angeles and brought to the St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.
Due to his non-verbal state, he was unable to communicate his name or any information about himself to hospital officials and the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office.
For the next six months, the hospital’s social services department was unable to reach any family members for the patient.
He was transferred to another hospital in Los Angeles in July 2024.
But on November 22, a woman informed Deputy Sheriff Derek Kennemore that the patient was her brother after she saw a picture of him in a USA Today article from April.
A long-lost California man who went missing 25 years ago has now been reunited with his family after his sister saw a picture of him in a news article
‘The woman informed Sheriff’s Deputy, Derek Kennemore, that she had been sent an article from USA Today that had a picture of a man that she believed to be her missing brother.
‘The woman explained that her brother was reported missing in 1999 from Doyle, Ca. The man had not been heard from since.
‘The USA Today article was printed in April 2024 and was requesting assistance in identifying the man, who had been admitted to a hospital in the Los Angeles, Ca area,’ the Sheriff’s office said.
Officials soon contacted a detective from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit to confirm his identity.
The detective then acquired fingerprints from the patient at the LA hospital and ran a check.
Results showed that he was indeed the woman’s brother who was reported missing nearly three decades ago.
‘Deputy Kennemore contacted the Los Angeles Police Department, Missing Persons Unit, and was put in contact with a Detective. The Detective responded to the hospital and fingerprinted the man.
‘The Detective was able to positively identify the man as the one reported missing in 1999 from Doyle, Ca.
On April 15, he was discovered in South Los Angeles and brought to the St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.
On November 22, a woman informed Deputy Sheriff Derek Kennemore (pictured) that the patient was her brother after she saw a picture of him in a USA Today article from April
‘Deputy Kennemore re-contacted the woman and informed her that, with the assistance of LAPD, we were able to positively identify the man as her brother,’ Captain Mike Carney further said in the release.
Deputies confirmed that the family will be reuniting soon and all names are being withheld for privacy.
According to ABC, the newly-found man had gone ‘missing voluntarily’.
After the miraculous discovery, Captain Carney told the outlet the outlet the sister was ‘super excited’.
‘She was very appreciative that we took the time just to follow up on it. She was over the moon and anxious to call other family members to let them know.
‘It’s gonna make their Thanksgiving that much better,’ he joyfully revealed.
Talking about the case, he called it a ‘perfect example’ of refusing to give up on finding missing people.
‘Be tenacious when it comes to these things, because there are family members that want answers,’ he suggested.