In 1999, an unidentified adult went missing all of a sudden. For 25 years, no one heard of him, leaving his family fearing the worst. However, the now 60-year-old man was found and transported to a hospital in Los Angeles. After not being able to call any relatives, USA Today published an article in an effort to help the man reunite with his family. A woman saw the article. She was his sister.
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"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," reads a Lassen County Sheriff's Office statement, reported by the Daily Mail. "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 in question was printed in April 2024 and had a picture of the unidentified non-verbal man. At the time, he was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital, and staff members were unable to contact any family members, therefore the article.
"A Los Angeles County hospital is hoping to reunite a patient found nearly a month ago with his loved ones," reads the article. "The patient can not communicate his name or any other information that could help with his identification, according to a news release."
A Los Angeles police would later confirm the identity of the unidentified man by running the patient's fingerprints. The man was, in fact, the woman's brother who disappeared 25 years ago.
A Family Reunited
"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 said in a press release. The man will soon reunite with his family. They, according to Carney, are extremely excited to welcome him back.
"She was very appreciative that we took the time just to follow up on it," he continued. "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," Carney said. He also remarked on the importance of never letting these cases go. "Be tenacious when it comes to these things, because there are family members that want answers," he said.
