Silver Alert ME - Graham Lacher, Bangor, disappeared from psychiatric hospital, June 6 2022 *reward*

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Was recently visiting the area for vacation and saw the street side signs everywhere. Looked into it a bit. It seems like the primary search location (according to the map in this feed) is north of I-95 but all of the sightings, where he disappeared from, where his hat was found, etc…were all on the south side of I-95.

I wonder if the last time he left, they found him in that area so they started the search there. It does seem like they should search the area south of the highway though.

That is a major interstate highway and he could be anywhere if he was picked up.
 
I admire his family so much for their dedication and perseverance.


PORTLAND (WGME) - The family of a missing Bangor man spent the weekend raising awareness through statewide rallies, pleading with Mainers to help in their search.

CBS 13 spoke with the mother of 38-year-old Graham Lacher who was handing out information on the Eastern Prom in Portland Sunday afternoon.

Her son has been missing since June after he was last seen leaving the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center in Bangor.

The family has been outspoken about their belief that he is still alive, offering rewards if he is found.

Their concern now is finding him safely before winter.

"We've had hundreds of people helping us, praying for us. Those kind of things all help," said Tammy Lacher-Scully. "We're worried because winter is about to set in. We need to find him before it gets any colder."

The family says because there hasn't been a confirmed sighting of him, they have to begin a statewide search.

They also held information events today in Bangor and Augusta.
 
DEC 15

Still missing.

I hope that where ever he is, he's okay. Hopefully he feels safe and is warm, eating and taking care of himself. Perhaps at a homeless shelter or camp? Schizophrenia can definitely make places and people seem very scary. It's possible that he doesn't want to be confined to a hospital. He's awfully vulnerable out there on his own. This is sad.

Edit: MOO
 
JAN 2, 2023
The family of a man who went missing in Bangor in June says there have been multiple potential sightings in the Augusta area this past week.

The family of 38-year-old Graham Lacher says people reported seeing a man who resembles Lacher in three different places - walking on the interstate near the Augusta Civic Center, on the Route 3 rotary, and an unknown location.

Two other reports have since come in with possible sightings near one of the recovery centers on the rotary in Augusta and on I-95 near the Gardiner toll booth.

[...]
 

BANGOR (BDN) -- The family of Graham Lacher, who disappeared from Bangor in June, has raised the reward for the missing man.

*************
Lacher’s family has also expanded the scope of their search for the man, and are in the process of informing neighboring states of Maine’s active Silver Alert that applies to the 38-year-old.

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In August, his family offered a $500 reward for information reuniting them with Lacher. That reward was raised a month later to $2,500, and has since been raised to $3,500.

***************
 
An updated missing person poster shared on a Missing Graham Lacher Facebook page notes his weight at 190 pounds and notes that Lacher may be nonverbal.

The current reward is set at $5,000 for Lacher's safe return, the release states, and they are also hoping to increase the number of road signs in high traffic areas to help raise awareness.

"We continue to hope he has survived," Tammy Lacher Scully, Graham Lacher's mother, said in the release. "We believe he's been seen but not recognized as a missing person in need of medical attention."

The family has identified 10 locations where they hope to place signs and are working to get permissions to place missing persons signs in those areas.

For more information about Lacher's case, a Facebook page has been set up.
The family of 38-year-old Graham Lacher is now offering $5,000.

 
I'm still holding out hope that he's met some buddies and is surviving on his own. I've personally known quite a few people with schizophrenia who "make it" without medication and without incident for long periods of time. It's not ideal but they survive. Has there been any mention of the severity of his condition? Is it possible that he's been lucid and somewhat in touch with reality for the past year? Maybe one of our verified physicians can weight in here.

All my opinion only.
 
I'm still holding out hope that he's met some buddies and is surviving on his own.
I think it's unlikely given that he's both an occasional mute and a schizophrenic. His mother said he also shies away from people because of his mental illnesses.
I don't know what could have happened to him. He's probably not capable of much employment, so I'm not sure how he would survive without money, and you can't live on fresh air.
 
I worry that he died of exposure with these circumstances - Maine is definitely NOT the place you would want to be living outside in during winter :( It is possible he is alive and I truly hope he is. If he is alive, I think he may have left the area. JMO.
 

Graham Karlson Lacher​

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Lacher, circa 2022
  • Missing Since 06/06/2022
  • Missing From Bangor, Maine
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Male
  • Race White
  • Age 37 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'11, 200 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A gray jacket and gray Carhartt pants. His hat has since been recovered.
  • Medical Conditions Lacher has schizophrenia and autism. He was receiving inpatient treatment for his conditions at the time of his disappearance. Because of his severe mental illness, Lacher may not speak and may avoid contact with others. Anyone who thinks they've seen him should not confront or pursue him, but should take a photograph and then alert the authorities.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Lacher speaks multiple languages. He wears eyeglasses with black frames.

Details of Disappearance​

Lacher was last seen on Dartmouth Street in Bangor, Maine on June 6, 2022. At the time of his disappearance, he was an inpatient at the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center, getting treatment for his schizophrenia and autism.

While on a supervised walk with a staff member, he left the hospital grounds alone. Afterwards, Lacher is known to have entered the woods off the Sylvan Road walking trail, which borders the Exit 186 area of Interstate 95.

He has never been heard from again. Six weeks after his disappearance, Lacher's hat was found off Dartmouth Street just inside the woodline. There has been no sign of him since.

Prior to his disappearance, Lacher had studied philosophy. He had never been able to manage his own money or have a job due to his medical conditions. He had run away from a group home once because he was unhappy there, and walked 17 miles before he was located.

His case remains unsolved. Anyone who thinks they've seen Lacher should not confront or pursue him, but should take a photograph and then alert the authorities.

Last updated August 25, 2023; casefile added.
 
Lacher has been diagnosed with autism and schizophrenia. Due to his diagnoses, his family says not to approach him and instead call police.

He was last seen wearing a gray jacket and gray or green Carhartt pants.

An orange hat that he had been wearing was located by a search volunteer, according to the Bangor Daily News.

Lacher’s mother, Tammy Lacher Scully of Belfast, says she believes her son has been seen but not recognized as a missing, vulnerable adult in need of medical attention.

“We continue to hope my son has survived,” says his mother, Tammy Lacher Scully of Belfast. “And with the coldest days of winter ahead of us, we are especially concerned about his safety,” Scully said in a statement
 
This is concerning. It sounds like he was in the hospital voluntarily, so why did he escape? Could he not just check himself out?
I don’t know if the laws regarding voluntary psychiatric inpatient treatment are the same across the entire USA, but in Indiana, no, he couldn’t have just left. Even with a voluntary admission, getting released before a doctor wants to release you is at minimum a 24-hour process. You have to sign forms about leaving the hospital against medical advice (AMA), which the treatment team then has 24 hours to approve or deny. If they approve, you’ll be released soon after, though if for example you submitted the AMA request in the evening, the care team wouldn’t have to approve it until the following evening, and you may still be stuck there until the next morning. But if they deny it (essentially saying you’re too big of a danger to yourself/others for them to comfortably let you leave), you’re stuck. They can take you to court and everything over it. It’s not as simple as saying “hey, I’m not really feeling this anymore, I’m going home”.

I’m a bit confused as to how Graham was able to leave the way he did. It sounds like he just walked through the front doors and nobody saw him or tried to stop him or anything. At all hospitals and facilities I’ve been to, number one, there are many, many locked doors between you and any door that leads to the outside, and number two, there’s staff/security of some sort in the front office/lobby area, in case someone manages to get through all those locked doors. Maybe this is just in Indiana, but it feels like a bit of a failing on the part of the hospital, IMO. The whole point of being there is that you’re suffering from severe mental health issues that can’t be dealt with at home - you’re being kept safe, you can’t just leave when you want to.
 
I don’t know if the laws regarding voluntary psychiatric inpatient treatment are the same across the entire USA, but in Indiana, no, he couldn’t have just left. Even with a voluntary admission, getting released before a doctor wants to release you is at minimum a 24-hour process. You have to sign forms about leaving the hospital against medical advice (AMA), which the treatment team then has 24 hours to approve or deny. If they approve, you’ll be released soon after, though if for example you submitted the AMA request in the evening, the care team wouldn’t have to approve it until the following evening, and you may still be stuck there until the next morning. But if they deny it (essentially saying you’re too big of a danger to yourself/others for them to comfortably let you leave), you’re stuck. They can take you to court and everything over it. It’s not as simple as saying “hey, I’m not really feeling this anymore, I’m going home”.

I’m a bit confused as to how Graham was able to leave the way he did. It sounds like he just walked through the front doors and nobody saw him or tried to stop him or anything. At all hospitals and facilities I’ve been to, number one, there are many, many locked doors between you and any door that leads to the outside, and number two, there’s staff/security of some sort in the front office/lobby area, in case someone manages to get through all those locked doors. Maybe this is just in Indiana, but it feels like a bit of a failing on the part of the hospital, IMO. The whole point of being there is that you’re suffering from severe mental health issues that can’t be dealt with at home - you’re being kept safe, you can’t just leave when you want to.
This has been my experience in CA, as well.
 

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