One California family has a lot to be thankful for as a man is on his way to reunite with his loved ones following his disappearance in 1999.
It's been 25 years since Marcie’s little brother Tommy vanished without a trace in August, and no one has been able to track him down.
That is, until Marcie saw a photo of her sibling in a news article that sparked her memory and allowed her to identify her long-lost family member.
Highlights
- Tommy was found 25 years after vanishing when his sister saw him in a news article.
- USA Today article led Marcie to identify Tommy, who was missing since 1999.
- Nor-Cal Alliance declared Tommy's discovery a 'miracle' and announced the reunion.
A man who vanished more than two decades ago will reunite with his family after his sister recognized him from a news article
Image credits: TheDoeNetwork
“My name is Marcie. My little brother, Tommy, had been missing since August of 1999. He just VANISHED with no trace. Not even his vehicle was ever located,” she wrote on a GoFundMe page.
But it was the story published by USA Today in May 2024, featuring an unidentified man, that urged Marcie to contact the Lassen County Sheriff’s Department on Friday.
Image credits: Nor-Cal Alliance For The Missing
She described her brother’s disappearance to the best of her knowledge, saying he had been reported missing from Doyle, a small Californian town located approximately 45 miles from Reno, Nevada.
Deputy Derek Kennemore reached out to the hospital mentioned in the article and got back to Marcie, telling her the man had been transferred to another LA facility back in July.
Later on, the LAPD’s Missing Persons Unit confirmed the patient to be Marcie’s brother.
Organizations described Tommy’s discovery as nothing short of a “miracle”
Image credits: St. Francis Medical Center, Monroe, La.
The next day, Nor-Cal Alliance for the Missing, a non-profit organization that extends resources to those looking for missing loved ones, issued a press release.
“It is with great pride and profound joy that the Nor-Cal Alliance for the Missing announces a long-awaited and miraculous reunion,” it read. “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.”
According to the statement, those close to Tommy “never gave up searching” and displayed “unwavering determination and hope.”
“Tommy’s return proves that miracles can happen and reinforces our commitment to bringing every missing person home,” it concluded.
Marcie recently updated anyone who was actively following the case
Image credits: GoFundMe
“On 11-22-2024, I pursued a lead of a live person. This person’s picture was published in USA News, asking the public if anyone could identify the man in the picture, who was found sitting on a curb in South LA,” Marcie wrote.
“Long story short, through fingerprints, a match was made! All this time I had been looking for unidentified remains. I was delighted to find him alive!”
Currently, Marcie remains in Lassen County while her brother is 600 miles away in Lynwood, California. She has initiated Tommy’s possible transfer to a facility closer to her.
Image credits: Google Maps
Her sibling is non-verbal, eating regularly, and just learned how to walk. While Marcie says she doesn’t have much money in her hands, she is mailing him men’s clothing, a set of pencils, and a scratch pad because “he loved to draw.”
Now, she is hoping to send her brother a device that can be used to listen to his favorite songs, in an attempt to jog his memory and “get some response.”
Readers pointed out the "trauma" Tommy may have endured during those 25 years but said the story was one of miracles
