(KTLA) – A man missing since 1999 has been identified and is set to reunite with his family after media coverage helped bring the decades-long case to a close.
The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office began investigating after a woman contacted authorities last week, saying she believed her missing brother was featured in a news story earlier this year.
The man, described as a non-verbal white man in his mid-60s, had been found in South Los Angeles in April and was being cared for at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.
Hospital officials issued a media alert in May seeking the public’s help because the man had been unable to communicate his identity or personal details.
The story was first reported by KTLA and later gained national attention through other outlets, including USA Today where the woman ultimately came across it.
Investigators confirmed the man’s description matched the brother reported missing in 1999 from the rural town of Doyle in Lassen County.
Detectives contacted St. Francis and learned that the man had been transferred to another Los Angeles-area hospital in July.
Lassen County authorities contacted the Los Angeles Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit to positively identify the man using fingerprints. Once the match was confirmed, the Sheriff’s Office contacted the woman to inform her that her brother had been found alive.
The family, whose names have been withheld for privacy, is now preparing to reunite. Officials said what happened over the past 25 years of the man’s life remains unclear.
The Sheriff’s Office commended the collaboration with the LAPD and the perseverance of investigators in solving the 25-year-old case.
“This is a reminder of how crucial public awareness and media coverage can be in resolving cold cases and reuniting families,” authorities said in a statement.
