DEL.ICIO.USElderly Gwinnett man missing a month
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday, September 12, 2008
Jean Laguerre’s family will celebrate his 81st birthday on Friday, but he may not be there to join them.
The Lawrenceville man has been missing for a month, since he vanished from the front porch of his daughter’s home in a quiet cul-de-sac on Melrose Woods Court. Urmiss Roche said her father would sit outside for hours, relaxing with the family dog “Daisy” and watching neighborhood activities.
Gwinnett County Police Department
Jean Laguerre of Lawrenceville has been missing since Aug. 13. He was last seen on the porch of his daughter’s house.
On Aug. 13, Laguerre sought refuge on the porch as usual around 8 p.m. When his daughter glanced out the window about a half-hour later, he was gone. Family members canvassed the neighborhood for two hours with no luck. Then they dialed 911.
“We did dog searches, we did helicopter searches,” Roche said. “The police did the best they could do.”
The family is especially worried because Laguerre, a native of Haiti, speaks only Creole. He never left home unaccompanied.
Laguerre also suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes, for which he takes medication. The family said he has not exhibited any signs of dementia.
Laguerre’s other daughter, Bernonde Laguerre, lives less than five miles from the Roches. The remainder of Laguerre’s 13 children are spread out between Haiti, Canada and New York.
The two sisters from Lawrenceville have spent frantic weeks distributing flyers and searching area hospitals, hoping he’ll turn up.
Bernonde Laguerre said she has had difficulty concentrating at work, and “every time we’re driving somewhere, we’re looking for him.”
Laguerre is a black male of medium complexion, about 5 feet tall and 142 pounds with salt-and-pepper hair.
Gwinnett police released a photo of Laguerre to the media shortly after his disappearance. However, department spokeswoman Cpl. Illana Spellman said investigators have no new leads.
“Hopefully something else will come in, but right now we don’t have anything,” Spellman said.
If you see Laguerre, contact Gwinnett County Police at 770-513-5300
