In this week's edition of "The Missing," we revisit the mysterious disappearance of Robert Stephen Brown, a 49-year-old resident of Fort Worth, Texas, who went missing in March 2007.
"It has been a long year since his disappearance," Robert's sister, Deborah Lohr, wrote in a recent e-mail, adding, "Our mother is very ill, and her heart is broken."
According to Deborah, Robert suffers from diabetes, a chronic disease that has severely damaged his eyesight. As a result, he was on a state funded program that helped him pay his utility bills and household expenses.
In the days leading up to his disappearance, an acquaintance of Robert's allegedly stole his state assistance card and made several purchases with it.
"On March 10, 2007, Robert left on a city bus for River Oaks, to confront the people who had taken his card," Deborah said. "He arrived at the friends house, but no one knows what happened after he arrived. His friends say they took him back to the bus stop, but there is no indication he took the return bus trip home. His 14-year-old daughter was at the house when he left and waited all day into the evening for his return but he never came back."
When Fort Worth Police questioned Robert's friend, he told them someone else had the card and that he had not seen Robert. He then volunteered to take a polygraph test, which police say he passed.
The mystery surrounding Robert's disappearance deepened on March 19, 2007, when someone broke into his apartment and started a fire.
"There was a fire started in the kitchen, and someone had destroyed his insulin that was in the refrigerator by smashing the bottles against the wall," Deborah said.
Police have yet to solve the arson or to uncover clues in Robert's disappearance. They suspect foul play and say they are actively working on the case. In the mean time, Robert's family will continue to wait and wonder.
"I speak with the Detective on the case weekly, but there is no new evidence and no one is talking," Deborah said. "I have given a DNA sample and it has been registered into CODIS, just in case my brother’s remains are found."
Robert Stephen Brown is described as a white male, 5'8" tall, 165 lbs., with sandy brown hair and blue eyes. He is missing one of his left front teeth and two toes on each foot. Anyone with information is asked to call the Fort Worth Police Department at (817) 335-4222 or the Texas Department of Public Safety at 800-346-3243.
If you are a family member of a missing loved one and have a case you would like covered here, contact me via e-mail. If you are a reader who would like to help, please spread the word about this blog so others can find us. The more people who see these stories, the better the chances that someone might come forward with information.
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