CA CA - Derek Seehausen, 26, USC med student, Glendale, 5 Aug 2014

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There was a sighting, but I wish they could have mentioned where, when and what bus route.
 
Hope he's found soon. I wish the family wouldn't wait until Friday to have a press conference.
 
Press conference re: Derek (in California) starts in about an hour...hope we get some important details and a good new pic.

If anyone in that region hears anything, would you mind please posting it here?
 
Press conference video is very informative and has a lot of honest answers from family, Derek's best friend, and LE. There is a lot of detailed information provided that we did not know previously-- both about the disappearance and about Derek's own personal history.

I would encourage everyone to watch it! Unfortunately it would be a lot to transcribe because it is 25 minutes long.

I do hope the media will be able to publish the pictures of a possible sighting that LE showed today. Couldn't see much from the camera's view of the press conference.
 
Dixie811 said:
Press conference video is very informative and has a lot of honest answers from family, Derek's best friend, and LE. There is a lot of detailed information provided that we did not know previously-- both about the disappearance and about Derek's own personal history.

I would encourage everyone to watch it! Unfortunately it would be a lot to transcribe because it is 25 minutes long.

I do hope the media will be able to publish the pictures of a possible sighting that LE showed today. Couldn't see much from the camera's view of the press conference.
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That's the only part I was disappointed about -- the size/clarity of the photos. But I too hope the media will blow those up and we'll see them soon. Maybe they will end up on Derek's website soon.

Gotta say, I was really impressed with the PI (Thomas Martin) the family hired, who spoke/answered questions at the press conference. Not only did he seem extremely caring/compassionate toward the Mom and fully engaged in finding Derek, he sure seemed extremely bright and capable of working well with the LAPD, media and etc. -- great communicator and demeanor, which can be critical to keep the lines of communcation open for the family and the case coordinated as well as can be to find Derek.
 
I found it so odd that they believe that he is alive, but they all referred to him in the past tense.
 
CanuckSleuth79 said:
I found it so odd that they believe that he is alive, but they all referred to him in the past tense.
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Posters say this in every single case I follow- short-term, long-term, adult, teen, runaway, foul play, etc... there will always be one or more people who refer to the missing person in past tense. Many people will switch back and forth between past and present tense; probably unconsciously. It's not unusual.
 
ThinkThinkThink said:
That's the only part I was disappointed about -- the size/clarity of the photos. But I too hope the media will blow those up and we'll see them soon. Maybe they will end up on Derek's website soon.

Gotta say, I was really impressed with the PI (Thomas Martin) the family hired, who spoke/answered questions at the press conference. Not only did he seem extremely caring/compassionate toward the Mom and fully engaged in finding Derek, he sure seemed extremely bright and capable of working well with the LAPD, media and etc. -- great communicator and demeanor, which can be critical to keep the lines of communcation open for the family and the case coordinated as well as can be to find Derek.
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Wow you're right. I missed the fact that the main speaker was the PI and assumed he was LE. He was very professional and informative.
 
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014...g-ignites-search-for-missing-usc-med-student/

Seehausen’s family held a news conference Friday morning about the student’s disappearance.

“I think that this is our best and last hope for finding him,” Seehausen’s mother, Jean Gadra said. “If Derek happens to watch this, and I hope to God, I pray to God he does, I want to say to him we love him and we want him back”...

“A photo released by LAPD on Friday, Sept. 5, 2014, of a man on a metro LA bus bearing striking resemblance to Derek has fueled a sense of urgency to locate the missing student,” PI Thomas Martin said.
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http://dailytrojan.com/2014/09/12/missing-usc-student-reportedly-sighted-in-san-diego-county/

A tip to LAPD on Sept. 10 described a man matching Seehausen’s description shuffling on the Pacific Coast Highway near Solana Beach, California. Seehausen has plantar fasciitis, a painful disorder affecting the heel and underside of the foot, which private investigator Thomas Martin, who was hired by Seehausen’s family, attributes to his gait.

Seehausen was also reportedly sighted on Sept. 5, when an LAPD officer... reported he saw a man on foot with similar characteristics to Seehausen.
Click to expand...
 
ThinkThinkThink said:
HERE IS THE PRESS CONFERENCE ON DEREK:

http://keckmedia.usc.edu/Mediasite/Play/ee308e5dd3cd4c438a8e8ae3fead3c1d1d


***I learned a lot watching the whole thing...the Mom made me cry...wow, just wow.***
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I made some notes....

Facts from PI

- Derek scored in top 99% percentile in both MCAT and US Medical Licensing Examination. He is "smartest guy in the room"
- Derek scuba dives, is an avid camper, rock climber and accomplished outdoorsman
- Aug 5th @ 10:34pm, Derek went to Vons on Alvarado St; withdrew $200 and bought cereal and milk (found in his apt, cereal opened/eaten, milk not opened).
- @11:15pm – computer edits made (inside his apt)
- @11:34pm – returned keys to front desk of friend’s house on 1000 block of Wilshire (have video), then returned home
- @11:54pm –Derek made a $2999 payment via his iPhone
- @12:02am – Last known photo of Derek; last seen with only $200 and driver’s license; heading north on 2000 block of Alvarado, just past the 76 station.
- 12am-6am – LE reviewed video footage – no other sightings of Derek; was not seen further north on Alvarado. No sighting on Glendale/Alvarado intersection. Likely took public transport/bus.
- Sept 5, 2014 – LAPD was notified of a man on footage similar to Derek (came from LA Sheriff’s Dept -- were doing unrelated investigation)
- Sept 10, 2014 – man matching Derek’s description seen “shuffling” along PCH (Derek has foot condition)

Mother's Statement

- Thanks everyone.
- Thinks this is the best and last hope for finding Derek.
- Family doesn’t understand it. Derek would be last person that you would think that would do this.
- Derek was very well loved.
- Has left void in family; Derek has three brothers and a sister.
- It makes no sense to the family. Derek was full of life. He often talked to his mom about interesting things he was doing in medical school.
- Derek loved the outdoors – loved to hike, scuba dive, camp. Said he was living the dream in California. His mom said she knew they’d “never get him back from California” – he loved the outdoors here.
- Shortly before his disappearance, he asked his mom about Christmas plans and emailed her dates for the medical school’s spring graduation so none of this makes any sense to them.
- If Derek happens to watch this, and I hope to God, I pray to God he does, I want to say to him that we love him and we want him back. He’s left such a void in our family, and I know that it would be very hard for him to come back, very very difficult for him to come back, but he needs to do that. And we love him and we want him back.

Q&A (PI)

- Derek owed one of his best friends $2800 (loan) so he decided at that time to pay the debt back though his iphone.
- PI believes Derek is alive; no credible evidence and no one that he has spoken with in LE believes he is dead. When he left, he had no way to harm himself that they are aware of.
- Don’t believe he would put his family through this. PI believes maybe at some point if he did contemplate hurting himself (“foul play”) he changed his mind or he just wanted to get away for awhile and is having a hard time coming back. But "you can come back"; they have the resources to take care of whatever problem it is.
- Medical school is a lot of stress.
- Did find that there may have been some recreational drug use but doesn’t see it as being factor in why he left.
- Spotting along PCH was between Solana Beach and Cardiff-by-the-Sea; the tip stood out, most credible.
- Video from Sept. 5th was from bus and bus station (LA Sheriff's Dept investigation).
- Derek has never disappeared or gone away for couple of days without telling anyone.
- Early on it was reported that Derek was last seen around 6am in Glendale; PI said it was not correct – was mistake by one of local channels.

Q&A (Friend)

- Talked to Derek maybe 3 days before disappearance; talked specifically about plans for following weekend – Derek was going to come over for dinner party and were going to see movie.
- Derek went home and was intending to go to work next day – even bought breakfast food.
- Medical school is stressful and difficult but Derek was someone who handled it very well.
- Derek always went to class. Was very responsible. Star student.

Q&A (Mother)

- Derek started at Columbia in chemical engineering but after a year decided wanted to move into bio chemistry. Decided in junior year that he wanted to go to medical school. Originally wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon.
- His condition, plantar fasciitis, made it difficult for him to stand for long periods without significant pain. He tried a couple of years of therapy, injections, orthotics to resolve issue but ultimately did surgery and took a year off (did research during this time). The surgery made it better but did not cure him so he was looking for fields where he wouldn’t have to stand for long periods so was considering anesthesiology.

Q&A (Friend):

- They had plans for Derek to visit San Diego around this time. He loves surfing. He went to San Diego often to surf. He was fond of it and they had talked often about moving there.
 
"He looks so different to me in each photo." (Jash's comment)
---------------


I agree...I think it's good we can see the comparison of photos before he went missing, as he is just one of those people who the camera seems to capture SO differently, maybe depending on the angle, his mood, hair, etc.

With the photos released of the most recent possible siting of Derek, I can't tell at all if that would be him...but I can say the same for different photos that were taken before he went missing -- he can look THAT different in photos. One question I wish someone would have asked at the press conference is if his MOM could see specific aspects in the (possible recent siting) photos that make her inclined to believe it was him.

Your list is so great, Jash. The only other point I could think of was that I thought his best friend (when talking about Derek considering anesthesiology) said that Derek -- just a few days before he went missing -- had just told his best friend that he had done two rotations within anesthesiology and found it enjoyable/rewarding. Maybe I heard that wrong, but I think the reason why that stuck with me is that it pointed (for me) a little bit against the possibility that Derek was discouraged with his future -- in other words, seemed like he had conveyed to his best friend he had found a "niche" he liked and one that would possibly work better for him with his foot difficulty. But maybe that's not an important point to add...just really made me even more confused as to why he would leave, if he did.
 
I also would have liked his mother to speak specifically about whether she believed the individual in the photo looked like and could be her son. And the best friend, for that matter.

The detail about his foot condition is good, as it could be another unique trait to help decide whether a sighting is reliable or not.
 
Dixie811 said:
I also would have liked his mother to speak specifically about whether she believed the individual in the photo looked like and could be her son. And the best friend, for that matter.

The detail about his foot condition is good, as it could be another unique trait to help decide whether a sighting is reliable or not.
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Agreed...the best friend would have been a good one to ask as well, and that clue about his foot is such a good one. And it is SIGHTING -- why did I keep spelling it SITING? LOL.

I don't know, with this case, I guess it is the "elephant in the room," but all I can think is that since this makes no sense at all, there is one obvious possibility...and if it is that, I hope Derek goes to the nearest ER and realizes he WILL be helped. If it is not something like that, I just don't know what this is, but it's just very concerning...I just pray someone finds him or he realizes it WILL be okay, if he just comes back.

If you can, please come back, Derek.

Note: If anyone feels my briefly sharing something similar that happened to a family friend and how it turned out just fine when the person returned, I will do so.
 
Dixie811 said:
Posters say this in every single case I follow- short-term, long-term, adult, teen, runaway, foul play, etc... there will always be one or more people who refer to the missing person in past tense. Many people will switch back and forth between past and present tense; probably unconsciously. It's not unusual.
Click to expand...

I understand that, but it was odd that it was pretty much all the time (especially by his mother) that she said "he was" instead of "he is". I dunno....I just found it strange and I have seen to mentioned before as well, but this time was so much more than usual.
 
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