Her brother 'vanished with no trace' in 1999 — 25 years later, she reunited with him after noticing odd detail in a news article
When a loved one goes missing, there is always some hope that remains ignited within family members and others to find them. Even though years and decades pass, loved ones hold on to the hope that someday they will reunite with the missing person. A woman put up a GoFundMe for her little brother, Tommy, who was missing. Despite several attempts at locating him, the family was disheartened at his sudden disappearance in 1999. 25 years later, ahead of Thanksgiving Day, she noticed something familiar on the news and a simple observation helped her trace and reunite with her brother after two and half decades.
The woman had mentioned that there was no trace of her brother or his vehicle, he seemed to have just “vanished." Heartbroken through all these years, she began to look for any identification of remains that could be of her brother, per CNN. The woman then stumbled upon an article from USA Today that featured a man who was hospitalized. The man was unable to speak or communicate and there was no identity as to who he was. When the sister spotted the news and saw the image of the man, she felt hopeful. She immediately contacted the Lassen County Sheriff's office to inquire about the man.
Speaking with the deputy, Derek Kennemore, the woman mentioned that she had reported a missing person back in 1999 and believed that the hospitalized man could be her brother, the county’s Facebook post revealed. Kennemore then spoke with the hospital and they found that Tommy’s description matched that of the patient. The Nor-Cal Alliance for the Missing said in a press release, “An individual was brought to a Los Angeles County hospital and recent fingerprint analysis confirmed his identity as Tommy.” The man couldn’t speak and was facing medical challenges but after his identity was revealed, he was reunited with his family.
“After being missing for 25 years, Tommy, a case close to our hearts, has been found and will soon be reunited with his loving family. Today, we celebrate a reunion 25 years in the making—a moment that brings light to the darkest of times,” the post read. Just a simple observation, a whole lot of hope and determination helped a family find their long-lost member and rescue and reunite with him. The GoFundMe set up expressed gratitude to all those who helped and requested donations to provide for Tommy, including his medical and other expenses. “All this time, I had been looking for unidentified remains. I was delighted to find him alive!” the sister wrote.
The woman explains that she lives 600 miles away from him and that he is only now learning to walk and eat and is non-verbal. She adds that she is sending him minor things and transfers for medical bills but requires help with other expenses. The page has raised over $11,000 so far and is still accepting donations. The season of hope has truly helped add a light in the lives of Tommy and his family and after two and a half decades, they can be close to each other again.