CA CA - John Beck, 73, Alameda, 9 Feb 2016 #1

[ZhaZhaHa]

Skiaboo, very confusing because she actually mentions three locations. Zip 94044 is San Mateo which is far south of SF and Land's End. She also mentions Manor Drive which is a short street in San Francisco , 5.9 miles from Lands End, and then she mentions one block from Lands End. However if you note she says both "I live a block from Lands End" and "I used to live in Lands End." Something makes me think she doesn't currently live there and now lives south of Lands End at Manor Drive. A picture on he FB shows her on the Great Highway which runs between her stated location and Lands End.

Manor Drive is connected to Ocean Drive which leads to the Great Highway which takes you to Lands End/Sutro Baths. I tried variations of the zip code to see if she perhaps mistyped it (as we often do on our phones), but I couldn't find a close match that made sense. Manor Drive is 94132. I am really hoping she responds to the question by the Missing John Beck FB page as to when she believes her sighting to have been. I note this woman and I have one person in common on FB so if they don't get a response I am willing to make a try to do so.


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Another idea on this...my zip code is actually that of a neighboring town that is about 15 miles away. Our mail is routed through them and not the local PO, so we have to use their zip. This could be the case here as well?

 

[ZhaZhaHa]

A thought on what he might have in the folder...If he is anything like my dad (who is 70), he looked on Google maps for directions (which it seems as though John did), and probably printed something out. My dad isn't about to access a map on a phone (he also turns his phone off unless he needs to use it...makes me nuts), but he surely still prints out google maps.

Can the computer records show if he printed anything?

 

[neesaki]

A thought on what he might have in the folder...If he is anything like my dad (who is 70), he looked on Google maps for directions (which it seems as though John did), and probably printed something out. My dad isn't about to access a map on a phone (he also turns his phone off unless he needs to use it...makes me nuts), but he surely still prints out google maps.

Can the computer records show if he printed anything?

Since he isn't using credit cards, maybe some cash? Or maybe he has some prepaid credit cards, there would't be a trail for those would there? I hope one or the other as this could indicate a stronger possibility he's alive and well.

 

[i.b.nora]

The single zip code for all of Pacifica, California is 94044.

Pacifica is located in San Mateo County.

 

[charminglane]

I would contact libraries in the area.
He can get a guest pass without using his name.

 

[JoyM]

BBM

I wondered if Joy meant pawn shop "idea" rather than "lead" because I don't remember anything about an actual lead either. Someone suggested checking pawn shops in case he was carrying a small item he could pawn. I think that's what Joy must mean. Maybe?

YEs! sorry I was writing so fast. We don't think he had more than $100 on him, but if he were able to pawn a small item then it would help pay for food/hotel/SRO. If he is alive, he would need some money to be gone for this long, unless 1) he had help, and we don't know of anyone who would be helping him but hiding that from the family 2) he is at a facility of some kind: a shelter, a hospital, a mental ward or crisis center.

 

[JoyM]

Wow! I had never heard of Texas Equaasearch, but he sounds amazing. What a great idea! Thanks Nannymo and Lilibet!

UPDATE: contacted! Thanks again for the lead!

 

[JoyM]

Another idea would be to call his insurance company (or maybe the detective can do this). Ask if there have been any claims filed on his insurance. Maybe his wife has a medical power of attorney and can get this information. Offices file claims electronically today and I feel sure something would already be in the system after a week.

This is a great idea--we've added it to our "to do" list. (We have contacted his doctor but he won't release any information due to HIPAA regulations.)

 

[Elainera]

Joy, what about rehab centers? Either alcohol/drug related, or health related? Could his recent hip surgery have been problematic for him and he kept this a secret? There are several rehab centers around the Presidio area.

I know I'm reaching ... :dunno:

 

[i.b.nora]

Excellent idea, here is a library map:

http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000159901

Closest to the area where he was seen:

Anza Library
description
(415) 355-5717.
550 37th Ave
San Francisco, CA 94121

 

[JoyM]

Also I will spread his poster on Help Save The Next Girl organization if you don't mind.

Please do! We would be so grateful! Most recent version: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BylH0DXwsIFVazM5ek9YcnZCQjQ

 

[JoyM]

There is another sighting posted on the FB page https://www.facebook.com/findjohnbeck/?fref=ts

Initials NS under visitor posts. I'm a bit confused though because I checked and the zip code given and street name is 10 miles south of sutro baths. Yet the lady says she lives a block from Lands End.

Apparently there is an apartment complex called Land's End Apartments right there. We suspect that is the cause of the confusion. We're taking this lead seriously and following up on it. We hope it pans out!

 

[JoyM]

Good Morning WSers! :seeya: I've consolidated Joy's replies to questions and suggestions from last night so that we have an easy reference to things already asked and answered.

You are a hero. Truly. Thank you for everything you are doing.

 

[JoyM]

Another FB page to post on would be Nor Cal Alliance for the Missing.

https://www.facebook.com/norcalallianceforthemissing/

I'll add this to our list! Great suggestion!

 

[JoyM]

If that's the case and he headed south, I wonder if he just kept going and is now outside the search area. Does anyone know if this is inside the search area? TIA

We have put up flyers on the Peninsula and have canvassed hospitals in this area, but are considering going back. We're trying to ascertain how certain the witness is and look at our list of "to dos" for the day. I'll report back at EOD!

 

[JoyM]

Please encourage them to try---my brother developed a habit of "going missing" over the past year and today, after not a word since November, he posted on Facebook. He is on the other side of the country. I'm not actively looking because he is missing by choice, but this shows that my brother is alive and is well (by his standards). It's worth a try.

Oh, sorry I should clarify: John is not on Facebook, so he would have to be alerted to/sent the link to his page somehow.

 

[JoyM]

Just throwing this out there & I mean no disrespect to the family or friends of JB's, but since it seems he's gone back to familiar places, could he be searching for a high school sweetheart or a childhood friend? I honestly don't think it's either one of those, I just hate to think that he'd leave this way without telling the ones most important to him anything, no goodbye, see ya later, nothing. I hate it, because I know how it feels. My great uncle took matters into his own hands after his sister, my grandma, passed. He couldn't deal with it I guess, but then that left us, me, my mom & my uncle (mom's brother) to deal with the leftover stuff, not that we too weren't mourning the loss of our mom & grandma too. At 1st you feel sadness that he didn't tell us how he felt, but then anger sets in & you're just mad at how inconsiderate he was & how inconsiderate suicide really is. I've thought to myself, during an overwhelming event or stressful day/week:month, I could just get in my car & drive as far away as I possibly could get, but my mind always goes straight to my kids & my husband & no matter what they don't deserve to have to go on through life burdened by me leaving & not knowing WTF happened to me; not that I'd get very far & if I did I wouldn't stay gone very long cuz I'd get lonesome or something. Many people who commit or who contemplate suicide don't think about or realize the affect it'll have on those left behind to deal with everything. It's a permanent solution to a temporary problem, that may or go away with time & or with the help of family & friends or even professional help.
I hope & pray for his wife, kids & grandkids sake that he just needed to figure things out on his own away from the hustle & bustle of the real world.


The thoughts & opinions stated above are that, MY random thoughts & opinions.

I am so sorry about what happened with your great uncle. My condolences to you and your entire family--I know that the pain and trauma left in the wake of suicide are uniquely difficult to recover from--suicide leaves a wound that resists healing.

I can't speak to your experience, and I know each of these deaths is unique and in many ways unlike any other.

I had a close friend who took his life when we were both in high school. I was very angry at him for a very long time.

I read more about suicide to try to understand why he did it. I can't remember the source--it was many, many years ago now, but I learned that severe depression of his kind can distort one's thinking to the extent that many people become convinced that they are actually *helping* their loved ones by removing them of the burden (as seen from the perspective of the depressive individual) of having them in their lives. For some suicidal people, the impulse to kill themselves comes from a charitable place. For me, this knowledge was a strange comfort--as stunningly misguided as this idea would be, it helped me release the anger of believing that he had intentionally inflicted pain on the people who loved him.

But. Of course, they are wrong. Horribly, tragically, monumentally wrong. The pain of the loss is always much greater than whatever difficulty the depressed individual worries they're inflicting upon their loved ones. But I know that this lie feels like the most profound truth to many people afflicted with suicidal depression.

 

[Lilibet]

:goodpost:

Thank you, Joy. This is exactly what I have learned from following these sad cases on WS... that a person who commits suicide often erroneously thinks that everyone would be better off without them. It helped me get beyond thinking that suicide is always a selfish, cowardly act. Sometimes it is, of course...Ariel Castro comes to mind as a probably cowardly suicide. And certainly to family left behind it can feel that way, understandably. They are left with sadness, guilt, anger, pain and general devastation. But each situation is different. Even though suicide is the antithesis of what I believe in, I can't presume to know what is in the mind and heart of the one who chooses that solution. I so hope that John chose a different path that will find him alive somewhere so that he can be reunited with his loving family. I'd hate for them to have to struggle with these feelings.

Something I so appreciate about WS is the opportunity we have to address and sort out how we feel about this and other important issues we encounter on various threads. It's quite an education.
JMO

 

[Lilibet]

Although I'd like to think that John has found shelter somewhere at night, the good news has been that high and low temperatures have been unseasonably warm for the past week with no rain. It looks like that stretch of nice weather ends today, but at least the weather hasn't been cause for concern until now. It's still not particularly cold.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/san-francisco-ca/94103/february-weather/347629

 

[bellesnwhistles]

I truly hope he is found soon. I just keep thinking how heartbreaking this must be for his kids and wife. I will be praying for you JoyM and the rest of his family and friends. I can't fathom my father going missing like that and not knowing why or if he's okay. You guys are doing an amazing job at being proactive and hopefully it pays off soon!