From Q & A w/ Mr. Fleischmann dated 2/04/08:
On Nov. 9, Kyle Fleischmann vanished after an evening with friends in uptown Charlotte. Hundreds of people spent weeks looking for the 24-year-old; the search got some national coverage. Kyle is still missing. Staff writer Jennifer Rothacker spoke with his father, Richard Fleischmann.
Q. Any new development ?
Just a couple of leads through Crime Stoppers that (police) are investigating. Two of them more than scratch the surface and might have some answers.
Q. What are the leads?
I really can't (say). The police don't want anything to get in their way.
Q. You've said before that you believe Kyle is deceased. Do you still?
I do. No doubt in mind.
Q. Why?
I can't believe he's alive. He would be in communication with us.
Q. Do you have any theories on what happened?
One theory is he was walking down the street, well dressed, and it's possible a group of people wanted money or his ATM card. He didn't have either. Another theory: He got into the wrong cab.
Q. Do you think his case will be solved?
The more time (that goes by), the harder it is. If somebody did see something, they now have had more time to cover the evidence.
Q. Are you still actively searching?
We were just out in First Ward. It's an area where we all searched, but this person called in (to Crime Stoppers) and said to look in a different location. The private investigator was out there for seven hours recently and came up with nothing.
Q. Do you still have lots of volunteer searchers?
It's dying down. We want to keep it to the professionals. During a search about a month and a half ago, the (volunteer) searchers got in the middle of a gang shooting.
More at link:
http://www.charlotte.com/local/story/477201.html
I didn't realize Mrs. Fleischmann has cancer and is undergoing chemo. It's more difficult to imagine Kyle alive, knowing his mom is so sick, and his not making an effort to contact her.