$10,000 reward offered for information in case of missing CDC employee

Timothy Cunningham has not been seen or heard from since Monday.

The parents of Timothy Cunningham, who hasn’t been seen or heard from since Feb. 12, have partnered with Crime Stoppers to offer a $10,000 reward in his case, police said Saturday.

The money is earmarked for information that “leads to an arrest and indictment in this case,” Atlanta police spokesman Officer Donald Hannah said, but police don’t necessarily believe a crime has been committed.

“At this time we have found no evidence of foul play,” Hannah said. “However, it is our practice to explore any and every possibility in a case such as this one.”

Timothy Jerrell Cunningham (Credit: CDC)

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Cunningham, 35, was reported missing Feb. 16 by his parents, who traveled from Maryland to check on their son after he left eary from work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention four days earlier, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

Terrell Cunningham, the man’s father, said something must be wrong for him to have not reached out earlier.

"This is not normal,” Terrell Cunningham said. “This is definitely out of the ordinary."

Police said Cunningham's parents went to his home and found his wallet, phone and other personal belongings he would have been expected to keep with him.

Terrell Cunningham said his son is an accomplished man who graduated from Morehouse and earned a master’s degree and doctorate from Harvard University. As an epidemic intelligence officer, Timothy Cunningham has been deployed for public health emergencies, including superstorm Sandy, Ebola and Zika.

The CDC issued a statement about Cunningham.

“Dr. Cunningham's colleagues and friends at CDC hope that he is safe,” the agency said. “We want him to return to his loved ones and his work — doing what he does best as a CDC disease detective — protecting people's health.”

Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Cunningham is asked to contact police.

Information can be submitted anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.crimestoppersatlanta.org. Persons do not have to give their name or any identifying information to be eligible for the reward.

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