Curtis Barry | 49 | Bradford | Missing July 19, 2010

[missingu]

Hi Concerned,

The GO Train isn't related to the TTC business, but the GO train station is in the area where Curtis ends his walk, thats why the police checked the surveillance there. 

The area where he walks doesn't have vagrants, it is not a park type area, the most the police dogs found was beer bottles left from some kids that decided to have a bush party.  They also found a pup tent back in the bush, but that was from the kids too.

Curtis did let the dogs off the leash and let them run once he got past the residential area and into the industrial area, but the leash didn't show up at all.  I would of thought they would have found it in the area, but not so.

Thanks for respondidng to my sister in law Deanna, she posted to your inbox in error, rather than on the main site.

Thank you for all of your positive thoughts, I really appreciate it, and hopefully something will happen soon.

Michelle

[SAP]

Michelle, you had mentioned that Curtis had gotten sleeping pills b/c he had been having poor sleep for a few weeks...
Some sedatives have accumulative affects which can cause confusion; although he had only taken a few, I don't think that would be the case. If the sedative was a benzodiazepine the short acting (fast working) vs the long acting (longer to take affect and lasting longer) could also make a difference. For sleep he should have had the short acting. I find googling Mayo clinic for quesitons on medications/health quite good, or just check with the local pharmacist as they usually know their drugs much better than Docs who prescribe them.
Imo, from seeing some really odd reactions to medications with individuals who normally don't take medications, it's worth checking out in case Curtis was hit with some confusion suddenly. I noticed you had mentioned you did check outlying areas as well? Has Curtis's picture circulated to a larger area just in case he did become disorientated and wandered off, since he did have approximately an 8 hour headstart? Just in case Curtis may have been taking any other medication (example for cardiac, etc) did the sleeping pill interact negatively with? Just another thing to consider...

[Concerned]

Deana, I laughed at your techie comments, we have all been there. But, really no problem. Anytime.

Lauren, if you feel an appeal to Curtis may help, please feel free to post on the site. If Curtis sees the site, he can always PM you, or I'm sure he probably has a way of finding your number, without you having to post it here. I think your intentions were good. Strange, but sometimes appeals strike a cord with people. You just never know.

Michelle, you mentioned the bottles from kids having a bush party. And, there being a tent. I hope the LE have a chance to talk to the kids. You never know if the tent had some overnight guests, that just may have seen or heard of something that morning that just may lead to somewhere.

I have to say, you all should be proud of your efforts. You've covered some really important bases right away. That is important because sometimes later you just don't have the opportunity.

Is there some way that the TTC may be able to hand over to LE  the incoming and outgoing phone numbers Curtis had on his work phone. Where I work we have a record of these which may help them with some leads. Also, if Curtis has a cell with texting capability, I hope the LE have ordered the text messages for review.  Probably is not a bad idea to have your home phone, text and email also reviewed. A small detail, hurtful feelings, signs of depression, a threat, extremely sad news, new friend, etc... maybe, just maybe a clue.

The leash missing bothers me. Were area trash cans looked into? I apologize for asking this next question, but if there were any signs of depression, or if the medication may have made him depressed, look in areas that the leash may have caused harm, either by him or another. I so apologize for saying that. (I have learned to look at all angles, not just the ones I find acceptable...but then again that may not be everyone's philosophy. No intentions of causing you harm, though.) My thought is that maybe somehow he got tangled up in it and just needs some help. Of, if the leash can be found, it may be a clue to location, and DNA. Thinking positive here.

Perhaps you can post a picture of the leash, and a description. That way people can look for it before it gets thrown away, moved, or recycled.

[X]

How do I message you with out it showing up on the board??

[Concerned]

For private messages, you can go up to the upper left of your screen, see where the "Home" button is...  THere is a button called "My Messages".  Hoover over the  "My Messages",  and it will show you two drop down options. Select "send a message" and that will give you private messaging capability. You will have to type in the person's screen name, and the message before sending a private message to someone.

[missingu]

Hi Concerned,

Unfortunately, Curtis didn't have a cell phone.  The police have already checked 3 months of my cell phone records.
We do not have a home phone.  Curtis would use my phone if he needed to call someone.

He also did not have a phone at work.  The shop where he works only has a main phone in the supervisors office and
long distance cannot be accessed.  He never used the phone at work unless in case of emergency.

He wasn't really up on technology.  He was old school.  No internet banking, cell phone, and had only recently learned to use e-mail, he still liked the "manual" side of things much better than having to learn new technology.  If he needed something "techie" he would ask me or the kids.

Like you with Penny, we will not give up hope that we will find him, or a sign as to his whereabouts.  Its just very hard to swallow that people can disappear without a trace, and no one sees anything?  That just doesn't sit well with me. He was in public view when he crossed the street to Industrial parkway that day.  There is a massive construction project underway in that area and I do not believe for a second that absolutely no one saw him.  It boggles my mind.

Anyway, thank you for all of your suggetions, comments and ongoing support. We know that we are doing all that we can to bring them home, and that's all that matters now.

Michelle

[Concerned]

How about a campaign to the hotel/motels and the campsites. Posters, or mailings...have you seen this person. He may be staying somewhere. And, someone has to have seen him. Are there any family cottages, friend cottages, or vacant cottages in the area. Somewhere where a person can stop and think for a while. We haven't tried that angle yet. 

Is he much of an outdorsey person?  Life off the land? Can find food?  Is there any reason to believe he may have cashed a check or hid some funds for a short while to live off from for a few weeks? Did he ever camp? Can he make it out in the woods on his own? Or, food shelters to see if they have seen him.

If he was out on his own, for any length of time, what would be his best strategy? Because even if he was disoriented, or a medical condition, he may still follow those patterns.

It is so strange that he worked for TTC and was not too up on the computer and the techie stuff. Is there any buddy at work, that maybe would give him a few weeks of shelter to "find himself"?  Stake out those residences, perhaps.

So strange that his co-workers havent' jumped up and made noise. I find that odd. In bigger companies you usually have co-worker activity. It just seems odd. Especially that they didn't go to the HR department. Usually HR department goes to PR department. And, company statements are made. Or intranet company announcements so everyone can find ways to find one of their own. It is just so quiet, it seems. But then again, I don't live in the area.  Maybe there are some answers there.

[jellybean]

Dog Leash  It is possible, one dog got off of his end of leash.  The other dog had the leash on, and when it was picked up by Animal Control, the leash was removed by staff.  This would be a very simple explanation. The leash may be there.  You may have to really have them check "in the backrooms" etc thoroughly, but it is worth a try. 
If they have it, then at least that removes one mystery. If it is there, than one can go on with other scenarios.

[missingu]

Hi Concerned,

I asked the same questions too regarding HR.  One of Curtis' close friends that works with at TTC answered that question quite clearly for me.  At TTC the company is so large and has so many departments and so many employees that he was just a number.

Employees there do their own job and only that.  They do not go above and beyond their own duties. I saw that for myself when I went to visist HR.  It seemed as though they were not only embarrassed about not knowing, but faulted the supervisor for not informing them of who was missing.  Since I had been in contact with his supervisor on a few occasions already, they didn't think it was out of the norm for them not to know, as I had dealt directly with one person already.

Curtis' friend has been relaying info to his co workers, but could only assume that management had done their part.  This was not the case.

Also, whilst I was there with my father who blasted them for the way they had handled the situation, the Director of HR called the Director that looks after family counselling and left an urgent message for them to call me asap.  That was last Thursday and the counsellor just contacted me this afternoon.  Lack of communication is what happened in this case.

It told HR that I wa very upset that a man that had worked with them almost 30 years and had never ever had a sick day was missing and they didn't recognize him enough to let people know that he was truly missed.

On the other hand, I work for a school who have been very compassionate and understanding about the situation.  WE have about 110 staff including teachers.  They were all notified by my boss in HR and sent the poster to put up in their residential areas.  I am so happy to ahve their support through this, I still do have faith that there are good people out there willing to help us, as you and all of the other members on this site have done in the past few weeks.

I chalk it up to one bad experience out of many good ones.  People do care and as a rule, the people that do care, know that they are also cared for by many other people.

Jellybean - thanks for thinking of the dog leash scenario.  I had checked that out at both places when I picked up the dogs.  The leash wasn't with either one of them.

ttys
Michelle

[jobo]

It is sad to think that we are a number in big corporations, but we are.    A lot of times the Toronto newscasts do not reveal what is going on in the "boonies", so Curtis's disappearance may not have been Torontos' main news.
I have more in common with you Michelle than you would think; the way you describe your husband, is the way I would describe mine.   They are good men, satisfied with the simpler things in life,( although every once in a while I wish mine would step outside his box, of course with me....just for fun....lol.)....and dependable.  My husband's dad retired from the TTC years ago.
I googled mapped Industrial Rd...to get a visual of Curtis's daily dog-walking route.    Seems to me it is a rural road, just outside the sub-division, and the road is there just for those factories that are on one side of the road.   The other side of the road has bush, and pockets of water, I gathered.    Am I correct?
The dog leash is one thing bothering me, the new medication is bothering me,  but the other is I do not know for sure what goes on in these factories.   I do not know if everything is on the "Up and Up"  in these buildings.....does anyone?    I imagine that 99% of the time everything is kosher, business as usual, in factories, but what about that 1% ?
I cannot get my thoughts on Curtis to go anywhere else, but that road, that area...this of course is just my opinion, I could be way off.....
I am thinking of you, and hoping you have a good outcome, soon.   Keep up your dedication to bringing Curtis home, we are rooting for a happy outcome.

[jellybean]

Michelle,I woke up this morning and the first thing that popped into my mind, even before I got out of bed,  your comment about the wallet, ID and money still at home.  Did Curtis always take his wallet, ID and money with him, even when taking the dogs out for a walk?  Would he take it with him, when he walked the dogs at his usual 3:00 am.? Or would he leave his wallet and money behind (even on his usual 3:00 a.m walk?)   Would this be totally out of character for him to leave the house at any time night or day without his wallet?  Was the door to the dog run left open?  Did anyone notice or remember? Do you have bushes or woods surrounding your property? If so, have you checked your property and area, thoroughly?  Did you see  last him  before you went to work? Did he tell you that he would be leaving around 8 am after the Go train went by. Did he have a dispute with any neighbors re: dogs barking or such, or anything else within an area of of dispute or contention in his life? The lack of a dog leash, and leaving his wallet behind bothers me.  Sorry for asking these questions, I am sure the answers are very simple.  Quite often they are - which is why his missing is so baffling.

[missingu]

Hi Jellybean,

No Curtis did not take any wallet, ID, money, credit or debit cards.  I have all of his ID at home.  the only wooded/bush
area is where he normally walked that has been checked many times over by police, helicopter, canine and boat/si doos.
We live in a residential subdivision, so there aren't any woods or any dense areas around our property.

The dog run was left open as it always was with the food and water ready for when they returned from their walk.

Michelle

[Concerned]

Michelle, I am so glad that you have caring co-workers and employer. That means a lot, especially considering the opposite of the spectrum. I just can't imagine 30 years with no sick day and the company operates in a vacuum. Boy, that says a lot to the current employees, I guess.

The factory question was a good one. What goes on in the factories? Are they dormant? Are they active? I believe the LE should search them if at all possible. Look for closed rooms, out of the way spaces, on the roof and inside.  It would probably be helpful to see if the premise is manned during the time of day that Curtis went missing. You just never know. He walks by those factories day in and day out. The dogs went missing close by. My guess is he is around the area. And, perhaps, those factories are revealing. Are any windows open? Broken? Not secure?   My thought is the dogs would have stayed with Curtis unless he was not visible any longer. Even then they may stay in the area he was at.  Unless he disappeared in a vehicle, behind closed doors, etc. Dogs stay with owners.

Also, are there restrooms anywhere along the way? I've wondered if he stopped into a facility and had a health issue. Outhouse, park restrooms, gas station restroom. Sometimes some of those places aren't checked on often. Would he hitch hike? Did any of his friends give him a ride, not realizing it was the day last seen?

[debbiec]

All very good points Concerned. If there is any one thing about this case that bothers me more than anything else it is the dogs. I have wondered many times if Curtis would just let them off of the leash and tell them to go home if he already knew that he wasn't going to be going home. My guess is that he would not have. That brings us to the other scenario of having the dogs willingly leave him under other circumstances such as if he fell somewhere along the walk and is in a place where he can't be seen. I believe that the dogs would have stayed with him or at the very least gone back to that spot when Michelle returned to the area with them. I also believe that the only way they would have been found wondering as they were is if Curtis disappeared in a vehicle or behind closed doors as you suggested.

[missingu]

Hi Debbie, & Concerned,

The factories down at the Industrial Road are always manned and active.  One produces wood and the other I think parts.It was the people there that actually saw both of the dogs running around .  We met with one of the workers on the very first night.  He waited for us to get pictures of the dogs so that he could verify that it was our dogs that the workers saw that day.  The factories and surrounding areas were checked by police the first night, and they went back again a week later.  They actually set up their command post in one of the factory parking lots.

I actually went to both of those buildings the second morning wondering if they had cameras facing the road.  the cameras at one place weren't working due to the thunderstorm the night before, and the other place didn't have any cameras at all.
My father and I spoke to quite a few people during that day.  Many of the workers did see Curtis walking down there with the dogs on a regular basis, but not that day, they only saw the dogs.  They would see him walking on Saturday's. The police did also take the canine unit in there that second day and didn't come up with any leads at all.

There were a few occasions that the dogs did come home by themselves.  Our Collie retriever mix Maggie is 17 and now deaf.  curtis liked to walk quickly and she couldn't keep up some of the time, so he would in fact take her off the leash and signal her to go home.  She did come home by herself on a few occasions.  He also always let them off the leash once reaching Industrial parkway so theat they could do their own thing or just run around.

There aren't any gas stations or rest rooms along that route unfortunately.  It is an area with only 3 factories and railroad tracks.  There is another small road with some other businesses like car repair etc, but they also have already been checked and
 the fields surrounding those businesses.

I really don't know if he would hitchhike or not as he never has in the past, as far as I know, but then again anything is possible.