(KTLA) — A man missing since 1999 has been identified and is set to reunite with his family after media coverage helped bring the decades-long case to a close.
The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office began investigating after a woman contacted authorities last week, saying she believed her missing brother was featured in a news story earlier this year.
The man, described as a non-verbal white man in his mid-60s, had been found in South Los Angeles in April and was being cared for at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.
Hospital officials issued a media alert in May seeking the public’s help because the man had been unable to communicate his identity or personal details.
The story was first reported by KRON4’s Los Angeles sister station KTLA and later gained national attention through other outlets, including USA Today where the woman ultimately came across it.