On May 16, 2005 Michael spoke with the house advisor at his new group home
in Rutland, Vermont. He told her he did not think he could go to work as he was having a bad time dealing with his obsessive
compulsive disorder. Monday’s were often a very difficult time for Michael. Shortly thereafter, he locked the door to
his room and joined his housemates in the van that drove them to Spring Lake Ranch. He worked the morning shift on the woods
crew. At lunch time he was scheduled to answer the phone. A staff member saw him standing outside smoking and reminded him
of his lunchtime job. He said he was having a difficult time and could not do it. A few minutes later the staff person went
to speak with him again and he was gone. This was about 12:30 PM on May 16, 2005. At the time of his disappearance, Michael
was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, khaki cargo type pants and a light blue and white bandana.
The night before Michael disappeared he spoke to his mother on the phone
to confirm plans for his visit home in early June. He was coming home to visit his father attend his brother Joe’s high
school graduation. He never showed up. Michael has not accessed his bank accounts or returned to pick up his car at his home
in Maryland. He was on eight medications at the time of his disappearance. Rapid withdrawal from these powerful medications
can cause unconsciousness, confusion and depression. It does not appear he has filled any prescriptions or accessed any health
care services. Michael has had experimental non-invasive neurosurgery. Immediately before he disappeared he was experiencing
vision problems and was due for an MRI. Every day he is without medicine and medical assistance, he is at risk.
Michael's mother received a perplexing phone call around 3pm on May 16th,
the day Michael disappeared. Someone was breathing heavily and would not respond to her. After several attempts to speak with
the person, she hung up. At the time, she did not know that Michael had disappeared. Later in the afternoon when he did not
show up for his ride back to town, the police initiated a search and rescue operation on the 600 acres of woods surrounding
the ranch. A search of Mike's room in Rutland indicated that all of his belongings were still there, including his checkbook.
The following day his mother received another call. On this call she could hear Michael’s voice but he was talking to
someone else. She called out his name and the phone disconnected. Later in the week, a housemate of Michael’s
reported he had seen Michael at the Walmart store in Rutland as did several Walmart employees.
In October 2005, a search and rescue team from the CUE (Community United
Effort) Center conducted an extensive canine search of the Ranch and the Rutland area. As a result of their search, CUE believes
that Michael left the ranch in May by way of the gravel lane and proceeded on foot toward the town of Rutland where he “hung
out” for a time. The CUE dogs picked up a more recent scent indicating Michael later rode away from Rutland on Route
7 South. We cannot know for sure if Michael has left the Rutland area or is still in the vicinity. Vermont State Police are
actively pursuing every lead in the area.
Although Michael has had a very difficult time dealing with his illness,
he has never run away from home or lost contact with his family. We believe that Michael left the ranch impulsively while
he was overwhelmed with OCD symptoms and upset about the departure of a friend. Subsequently, the withdrawal from his medication
left him confused and disoriented. Michael is a very affectionate and caring person who would never want to cause anyone undue
worry or harm. We believe he is alive somewhere and for some reason is just not able to find his way home to us.
