John Hudak left his Downtown condo on Sept. 13, 2013 in the middle of the afternoon to go for a walk. He never came back.
Earlier that day, he and his wife, Joyce Hudak, went refrigerator shopping because their old one broke and their house was on the market, she said. Once home, they got into an argument and John, a 71-year-old retired electric engineer, did what he usually did when he was upset: left to cool off.
In their 36 years of marriage, Joyce said he had left twice before, but only for a few days and took the car both times.
"He was not himself anymore. He was sick. He had high blood pressure and a tremor," Joyce said. "But, he still had his mind."
She realized he wasn't returning after a week passed. Nine days later, on Sept. 22, Joyce filed a police report for a missing person.
"His sister and brother came down and gave the police DNA," said Joyce. "I guess really they are waiting for someone who is unidentified in the hospital or a John Doe that they need to identify."
At first, Joyce thought he could have gone to Florida, where they just visited to look at homes. They were planning on moving closer to their children. Or maybe, she thought, he went to New Orleans. He liked it there. He left with only his wallet, not even a cellphone.
"But, since the day he left he hasn't spent a penny," she said. "I can't figure out how he is living with no money."
After a month, she began to panic and turned to Search Dogs South, a canine search and rescue company, to detect which direction he went. But nothing turned up.
At one point, Joyce went to the airport to see if he had purchased a plane ticket.
"I was never so upset in my life. They won't tell you anything," Joyce said.
Family members helped her call hotels in cities where he might be: Memphis, West Memphis, and Jackson, Miss.
"One time, we thought we found him, about three months ago," Joyce said. "Turns out it was a Ken Hudak."
Joyce is managing day-to-day tasks without her husband, she said, but some matters, like filing taxes proved tricky.
"We filed a joint return, and it's illegal for me to sign his name. The IRS advised me to just sign my name. Pretty much everything else I know how to handle, you just don't like it," she said.
But so much time has passed since John disappeared, she is loosing hope he might return.
"I'm starting to think what everybody else thinks — that something happened to him. He's 72 years old. Is he going to go out and get a new Social Security Number and a job? He's retired. I think somebody hurt him. John would never hurt himself."
Law enforcement agencies are required by law to accept reports of missing people under 21 and file those with the FBI's National Crime Information Center. However, with adults, that's not the case. Adults have a right to disappear by choice.
The Memphis Police Department investigates cases of missing adults — and immediately submits them to NCIC — when their disappearance is reported as unusual behavior, said Lt. Cindy Capps of the Missing Persons Bureau. They also collect DNA samples from the missing person's two closest relatives and submit it to the FBI's Combined DNA Index System, which is linked to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
"We listen to the families, friends, and roommates. When a person breaks a normal routine we investigate. If you are a normal everyday adult living in a metropolitan area and go missing, there's a good chance you have met your demise," Capps said. "With the Hudak case, we are all worried, but in the original report it alluded that he was angry with her. He threatened he was leaving and wasn't coming back."
The Missing Persons Bureau will only issue a city watch for a missing adult if they have emergency circumstances, such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, or mental health issues.
The Memphis Police Department reported 995 missing person cases in 2012 and 1,113 cases in 2013, Capps said.
Joyce said not a day goes by that she isn't tormented with the mystery of her husband's disappearance.
"If my mind's not occupied doing something, I think about it constantly," she said. "I'm trying to get outside, run, and I just joined a book club."
The family is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to John Hudak's whereabouts. Call (901) 525-5122 to supply information.
"The thing with not knowing is you really don't know," Joyce said.
Source: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2014/jul/04/woman-continues-search-for-missing-husband/
--------------------------------------------------------
Amy Kinney
Distribution List Senior Manager
LostNMissing Inc.
www.lostnmissing.com
LostNMissing Inc., is an all-volunteer national tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (the "code") and qualifies as a public supported organization under Sections, or Categories: P99 (Human Services - Multipurpose and Other N.E.C.); M99 (Other Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness, and Relief N.E.C.); I01 (Alliance/Advocacy Organizations). LostNMissing is organized and incorporated under the laws of the State of New Hampshire. We never charge a fee for our services.
Amy Kinney
Distribution List Senior Manager
LostNMissing Inc.
www.lostnmissing.com
LostNMissing Inc., is an all-volunteer national tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (the "code") and qualifies as a public supported organization under Sections, or Categories: P99 (Human Services - Multipurpose and Other N.E.C.); M99 (Other Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness, and Relief N.E.C.); I01 (Alliance/Advocacy Organizations). LostNMissing is organized and incorporated under the laws of the State of New Hampshire. We never charge a fee for our services.
No comments:
Post a Comment