California man, who vanished 25 years ago, to reunite with family after picture in news article

A California man who was reported missing in 1999 is finally reuniting with his family after his sister recognized his picture printed in a USA Today article in April of this year, the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office announced on Facebook.

LCSO received a call from the woman who told sheriff’s deputy Derek Kennemore she had been sent the article and believed the man in the article was her brother, who had not been heard from since his disappearance 25 years ago.

A GoFundMe allegedly set up by the man’s sister explains that the family had been looking for him since August 1999, when he disappeared without a trace.

“My name is Marcie. My little brother, Tommy, had been missing since August of 1999. He just VANISHED with no trace. Not even his vehicle was ever located,” Marcella (Marcie) Nasseri wrote.

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Nasseri requested assistance from Kennemore to identify the man, who had been admitted to a hospital in the Los Angeles area, according to the sheriff’s office. 

When Kennemore reached out, he learned the man had been transferred to another hospital in July.

The man, who is nonverbal, was later confirmed to be Nasseri’s brother after a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit was able to get his fingerprint.

Nasseri was ecstatic to have made the discovery, saying that all along she had pursued “unidentified remains.”

“On 11-22-2024, I pursued a lead of a live person. This person’s picture was published in USA News, asking the public if anyone could identify the man in the picture, who was found sitting on a curb in South LA. Long story short, through fingerprints, a match was made! All this time I had been looking for unidentified remains. I was delighted to find him alive!,” according to the GoFundMe.

She goes on to explain that she is very far away from her brother’s location and is looking for any assistance to aid him until a medical transfer is possible as he is learning to do everyday things again.

“I am 600 miles away in Lassen County. He is in Lynwood, California. I have initiated a possible medical transfer to a facility in Lassen County. All we know is that he just learned to walk, he can eat regular food, and he is non-verbal. I do not have money for things we need. I am mailing him used men’s clothing, a set of pencils, and a scratch pad because he loved to draw. This is all I can send for now,” she wrote in the fundraiser.

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The LCSO thanked Kennemore for his diligence in identifying the man and helping close the case.

“The Lassen County Sheriff’s Office would like to commend Deputy Kennemore on his tenacity with this case.  We would also like to thank the Los [Angeles] Police Department for their assistance in identifying the missing man and closing out this 25 year old case,” the sheriff’s office said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Marcie Nasseri for further comment.