Man Missing Since 1999 Located 

November 26, 2024 – Lassen County Sheriff’s Office officials report that on November 22, 2024, the Sheriff’s Office received a call from a woman who had some information on a previously reported missing person.

The woman informed Sheriff’s Deputy, Derek Kennemore, that she had been sent an article from USA Today that had a picture of a man that she believed to be her missing brother. The woman explained that her brother was reported missing in 1999 from Doyle, CA. The man had not been heard from since. The USA Today article was printed in April 2024 and was requesting assistance in identifying the man, who had been admitted to a hospital in the Los Angeles, CA area.

Deputy Kennemore contacted the hospital and was told that the man was transferred to another hospital in the Los Angeles area in July 2024. The man was nonverbal and had never been identified. Deputy Kennemore contacted the second hospital who confirmed that they had a non-verbal, unidentified man in their care that matched the description of the missing person.

Deputy Kennemore contacted the Los Angeles Police Department, Missing Persons Unit, and was put in contact with a Detective. The Detective responded to the hospital and fingerprinted the man. The Detective was able to positively identify the man as the one reported missing in 1999 from Doyle, CA.

Deputy Kennemore recontacted the woman and informed her that, with the assistance of LAPD, we were able to positively identify the man as her brother. The family will be reunited soon. Names in this case have been withheld for family privacy.

The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office would like to commend Deputy Kennemore on his tenacity with this case. We would also like to thank the Los Angeles Police Department for their assistance in identifying the missing man and closing out this 25-year-old case.

Captain Mike Carney
Operations Division Commander

Source: Lassen County Sheriff’s Office