Man Who Disappeared In 1999 Found Alive 25 Years Later With Sister’s Help

A California man who disappeared without a trace 25 years ago has been found alive over the weekend, more than 500 miles away, after his sister recognized his photo in a news article.

The Lassen County Sheriff's Department said via a Facebook news release on Monday, Nov. 25, that a woman contacted them about a person who had been reported missing.

She told the sheriff's department that someone sent her a USA Today article that included a photo of a patient at the St. Francis Medical Center in Los Angeles County. The April 2024 article was about the hospital asking for information on the patient, who they were unable to identify after he had been found in South Los Angeles.

The woman "believed" the man was "her missing brother," the sheriff's office said in its statement.

The woman said her brother was first reported missing from Doyle, California, in 1999.

"The man had not been heard from since," the sheriff's office stated, later noting that both the woman and her brother's identity have not been publicized to protect their privacy.

Deputy Derek Kennemore reached out to the hospital and was told the man was transferred to a local hospital in July. 

"The man was non verbal and had never been identified," authorities noted.

Kennemore then contacted the second hospital, which confirmed a man who matched the missing person's description was a patient there.

The deputy reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department's Missing Persons Unit, and a detective took the patient's fingerprints, positively identifying him as the same man who went missing 25 years ago.

Later, Kennemore informed the woman that the patient was indeed her brother, and "the family will be reunited soon," the sheriff's department shared.

The sister "was super excited" to reunite with her brother, Capt. Mike Carney told ABC News on Tuesday, Nov. 26. "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."

The reunion would "make their Thanksgiving that much better," Carney added, calling the story a "perfect example" of why families should stay hopeful in missing person cases.