CANADA Canada - Stephen Lapowich, 28, Toronto ON, 25 Mar 2011 - during P. Rico trip

DNA Solves
DNA Solves
DNA Solves

New Posts

It would be good to know that surveillence from the airports had been looked at and that Stephen had been without doubt identified as being there. I know this may sound ridiculous, but is it possible that he may have been targeted by someone with very similar looks who was looking for a way of getting out of the country ?
 
So the confirmation we have about him going through customs was in PR? I was thinking Toronto and that he may have changed his mind before boarding and backed out and left the terminal... I'm sure customs would have record of him entering and then leaving again though. I dont know what to think. :facepalm: I also thought about someone else using his passport too but thats gotta be near impossible right? For some reason I just cant shake the thought that he never did leave Toronto.
 
Darkblue said:
The thing with driver's licenses is that they are official, well regarded forms of photo identification...here in Canada and abroad.

I never go anywhere without mine, and I am sure many people don't, either.
You would think he would take that bit of I.D.

I don't want to sound alarmist, but I think that the most reasonable explanation is that this man wanted to disappear for whatever reason.

The reason nobody can find him is that he has applied forethought to the steps needed to disappear.

I could be wrong, but lack of any other logical explanation leads me to this conclusion.
Click to expand...

This will be my 'I wonder' post... the previous post was my 'I think' post.

I wonder why we havent heard from any of his friends? I wonder if he started pulling away from friends and family leading up to his disappearance. No one is posting on his missing fb page. I find that so odd. Even if he wasnt acting like himself those days I think someone would say so. Maybe it is just a man who wanted to get away and start new. He certainly wouldnt be the first. I always think how sad people who choose to do that must be.
 
Even if I knew I wasn't going to be driving my car, I would never just leave my license when I traveled across town-- not to mention traveling internationally. I don't think most adults would do that. That is a HUGE red flag for me, and IMO points to a voluntary disappearance.

We haven't heard from this girlfriend. Unless they were only casually dating, I would imagine she may have more insight into Stephen's recent behavior than his family. If she is equally as clueless about the situation, well then IMO he was most definitely hiding something. There are some things you don't tell your parents. But to tell absolutely nobody, including your significant other? That is something serious.

All my opinion only!
 
dotr said:
Related ?
CANADA Marc Menard 44, missing in Mexico. - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2013/04/01/20700706.html

"Marc Menard, 44, lived just north of Montreal and was in regular contact with family and friends since he left in December for his three-month trip. He hasn't been heard from since March 14"

SNIP>

"Before Menard went missing he wrote on his Facebook page that he was returning to Quebec through customs at Nuevo Laredo, in the State of Tamaulipas, in the north of the country.

He was travelling with his dog in a white van. Menard took a trip to Mexico every year"
Click to expand...

Marc's Missing fb page is always active. I check often but my grade 12 french isnt as good as it use to be. :blushing:
 
I also think that the three days prior to leaving Toronto in which nobody can account for Stephen's whereabouts are a big deal. It indicates to me that when he left home to go to the airport (the first time), he did not plan to return home-- no matter what. When his plans to leave town that day were ruined, he chose not to return to his life until flying out on Monday, but to lay low instead. In my opinion, if this does not indicate that he was purposely leaving his life then it indicates that he was struggling psychologically at this point. If he stayed in a hotel for those three days, that right there would practically eat up the entire $200 cash the authorities say he had with him for his trip.

Furthermore, when traveling internationally I have always been told not to bring any cash! But instead to use a card. You can either use your typical credit card or a pre-loaded traveler's card (easily obtained at AAA). Because there are so many thieves, gypsies, etc who take advantage of tourists and attempt to rob them; I was advised that card is much safer than cash because you can report the theft and any funds spent by the thief will be reimbursed. In my opinion, I would never choose to travel internationally with only cash. Not to mention, $200 is VERY little money when you take into account the hiccups a traveler may encounter. (Taxi rides, boat rides, lodging, meals, possibly medical care, anything really...)

This is all just my opinion and because we do not know much about Stephen's thought process leading up to his disappearance he may have logical explanations for each point I brought up.
 
There really isnt much to go on and what we do know doesnt sound logical. I just hate that there are so many unanswered questions and it seems no one is taking an interest on his Missing FB Page. No one... its just so sad. Maybe his friends were told not to speak out by his family? As annoying as I can be I hope that if I were to ever disappear I'd have a few friends posting on my fb page if only to say they were thinking of me. KWIM? :(
 
The info is certainly sparse in this case. It has been mentioned he only had $200 in cash, how do they know that ? Was there any money in his bank account ? Has he been officially id'd on airport surveillence cameras, if so then his actions imply that he doesn't want to be found. No info on his known actions before he left, very little comment on his missing facebook page.
 
I'm new at this whole thing, but another reason the Driver's License being left at home is strange if he was going on a vacation: to rent a car in either Puerto Rico or Costa Rica, you MUST have a valid DL from the country in which you reside. I've rented cars in both places - not saying there aren't ways around this, but as a casual tourist, I'd think you'd bring your license just in case the need for a car rental arose.
 
This might be a stretch, but will throw it out there anyway...
What if SL bumped paths with a fugitive from Montreal ?
BBM
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/tattooed_shutter_island_actor_violent_E9ZyyVFUwJ3yegCQml5nTI
"A tattooed man who has acted in a Martin Scorsese feature film is now being hunted as an international fugitive for committing a violent armed assault in a Canadian nightclub in 2009.

Ziad Akl, 38, is believed by authorities to be on the run in the US after he was declared a wanted man by police in Quebec. Akl has gained attention as an actor and has landed feature roles in at least two studio-produced Hollywood films.

In Scorsese's taut psychological thriller "Shutter Island," Akl played an inmate dubbed "The Tattooed Man."


He also portrayed an inmate in David O. Russell's "The Fighter."

Police in Laval, Quebec say they believe Akl and his brother, Elias Akl are involved in drug trafficking and they are cautioning members of the public to contact law enforcement authorities if they see either man"

Snip>



"Police suspect that Ziad's 40-year-old brother, Elias, may be living in Costa Rica"
 
ttcRider said:
So the confirmation we have about him going through customs was in PR? I was thinking Toronto and that he may have changed his mind before boarding and backed out and left the terminal... I'm sure customs would have record of him entering and then leaving again though. I dont know what to think. :facepalm: I also thought about someone else using his passport too but thats gotta be near impossible right? For some reason I just cant shake the thought that he never did leave Toronto.
Click to expand...


1. COPA flies from San Juan PR to San Jose via Panama City there are LOTS of flights on this route - most other routings take you back to the US so it is interesting that San Juan is a very plausible route to Costa Rica. You could take different small Caribbean airlines possibly as well but not that many would fly to Costa Rica. Now the problem is that COPA is a major airline so there would be a firm record UNLESS he switched ID at this point. For reasons unknown.

2. I agree it is strange to try to buy a ticket at the airport youngish guy almost certainly would buy on-line. Did he deliberately try to get noticed at the airport?

3. And the above poster's idea of someone else taking the flight is interesting - difficult these days though especially out of Toronto - and Miami and San Juan same thing.

4. Of course possible that something happened to him in San Juan. Even right away say a dodgy taxi driver, anything. Lots of people used to be robbed and worse from the Mexico City airport in taxis. Especially if he was carrying cash surreptitiously. And if someone knew.

5. But what gives quite a bit of hope that he might be ok are the other strange elements.
 
San Juan can be a rough city in many places, so I hear. I have travelled in Latin America extensively, although not to P.R. He would likely stick out as a tourist from North America, and the report does not suggest that he speaks Spanish.

I hope the P.I. sent by his family is checking hang-outs for North Americans and Europeans that he would likely be drawn to, as another poster suggested.

I still can't escape from the idea that he disappeared of his own volition.
 
I went to check out Stephen's fb today and it has been shut down. The Missing page is still up (with very few comments and nothing recent) but his personal page is gone.

I was curious about his friend's list. Wondering if him and Dellen Millard had anyone in common....
 
nitsirk said:
I went to check out Stephen's fb today and it has been shut down. The Missing page is still up (with very few comments and nothing recent) but his personal page is gone.

I was curious about his friend's list. Wondering if him and Dellen Millard had anyone in common....
Click to expand...

Wondering as well...
 
for some reason I think his friends list was private. Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Someone mentioned Dellen Millard a few posts ago.

You never know. Millard lived by the airport, and had been involved in aviation at some point. He also travelled a fair bit.

Since we are just scratching the surface with him (see Tim Bosma thread), you never know. JMHO.
 
Hmmm I get we are stuck on this one. Well sorry this is lame perhaps but:

1.Still bothered by the fact he went to the airport to buy ticket. That usually only happens in Hollywood movies and a younger person especially would just search Expedia or whatever on his phone or computer. He was noticed so was he trying to be noticed?

2. Could someone else have taken that flight? And then he stayed behind here in Canada? This would only sense in some unusual circumstance. Sorry to mention this and don't mean to cast aspersion at all - I remember one joke with his sister about her wedding involved "bets" and in the photo with his sister not sure are they at a race track? Google images will bring up the pic pretty quick.
Lots of very nice people can get into jams: if anything financial at work or with some kind of gaming or horse betting. (This would get people searching abroad for him when he is still in Canada). To emphasize this is just an idea I have no knowledge etc.

Anyone can get into trouble in one foggy night of playing cards or being told the tip on the perfect horse.

Sorry very thin evidence but hopefully just to get the conversation started again. Of course if he is in any kind of extra-legal danger from anyone then I wouldn't want him to be found right now. If so maybe he could send a message to someone he trusts (sister?) and maybe a group of people could help him out with a loan.

There is something wrong: 1. makes very public display of buying ticket 2. Strange inability to wait for original destination 3. seems to lack funds 4. disappears 5. Puerto Rico not such a hot destination for Canadians a bit more in recent years. 6. Also I am not clear on this but it is as if he only asks the one airline for a ticket to Costa Rica. There are lots of possible flights to Costa Rica almost impossible they were all full. That part is VERY strange if I understand it correctly. With Open Skies there are myriad possibilities especially if you are willing to make a brutal connection (multiple stops, long layover etc.) 7. One thing Costa Rica and Puerto Rico have in common is Spanish which is interesting. Most Canadians go to Dominican Republic, go there in droves. 8. But as I said above there are regular connections to Costa Rica from Puerto Rico via Panama City. 9. Could use another passport at that point but I would not try using fake ID for the first time in Puerto Rico with the American connetion bad idea. 10. I don't think he just met with an accident or was killed by chance in PR - not with all the strange behaviour planning the trip.

The other possibility of course is some kind of mental breakdown in which case anything is possibly almost. I dont think that is it though.



Doesn't add up wish I had the answer.

People mentioned no activity from friends on FB etc. if true then perhaps they guess he doesn't want to be found? Not sure about this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is DeKalb County John Doe (2022)?

Staff online

Members online

... and 166 more.
Total: 2,735 (members: 167, guests: 2,568)

Online statistics

Members online
167
Guests online
2,568
Total visitors
2,735
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
603,407
Messages
18,156,031
Members
231,721
Latest member
poohgirl2001w
Back
Top