Missing persons

The story about the two missing boys who were found alive in Michigan has made the nation painfully aware of the suffering that families must experience when a beloved child disappears. On any given day, there are scores of families around the country wondering about a missing loved one whom they know is vulnerable to a severe mental illness. Three separate newspaper stories yesterday exposed the commonality of this problem:

A Michigan man’s 56-year old brother who has schizophrenia walked away from a group home without his medication and has been missing for 2 weeks.

A Maryland family is hoping that their mentally ill brother, who has been missing for a month, will return safely. Before he left, he told his sister that he wanted to go to the airport, but he left without his medication.

While those families are hoping for a safe return, others are not so fortunate.

An Arlington, VA woman learned that her brother who suffered bipolar disorder was found dead in the woods neighboring the George Washington Parkway. The discovery ended nearly 2 months wondering where her brother was.

Our hearts go out to these families and so many others who are still wondering and waiting for a mentally ill loved one to return.