GA GA - Timothy Cunningham, 35, Chamblee, 12 Feb 2018

[liz b.]

It has been overcast/rainy in this area for the past 2 years...it seems. sigh.

Antidote for weather like that in Georgia : "Rainy Night in Georgia " by Brooke Benton...so evocative.

 

[LAhiker]

The national news (ABC) reported that authorities say there's no foul play but family and/or friends are offering a reward?


Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Yes. I think that that's in case there was foul play that someone knows about and wants to report. Also, when authorities say there's no indication of foul play, that doesn't usually mean they're definitively ruling it out but rather that they have no found no evidence for it.

For instance, they might have found no indication of forced entry or a struggle at Cunningham's home or car. But if, say, he got a ride with someone and was attacked elsewhere, a third party could report evidence of that, and if it led to an indictment they might be able to collect the reward.

 

[det.penny]

Hi, all! First time posting.
Just read TC texted his mom @ 5:21am the day he was last seen with "are you awake?"
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/26/health/missing-cdc-doctor/index.html

 

[Gardener1850]

Hi, all! First time posting.
Just read TC texted his mom @ 5:21am the day he was last seen with "are you awake?"
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/26/health/missing-cdc-doctor/index.html

Also from that article:

Authorities have said Cunningham disappeared after leaving work early on February 12, complaining of feeling ill. His worried parents drove down from Maryland, arriving on February 14 only to find his phone, keys, wallet, car and dog at his house.

He has not been seen or heard from since.

"Everything about this disappearance is unusual," his father said.

His mother added, "we really need him back to complete our circle."

The Cunninghams also sought to beat back an Internet rumor that their son was a whistle-blower who had warned about the flu shot being responsible for this year's deadly flu season.

"I must address this issue," his father said. "It is a lie. ... It is not factual. Hopefully, he'll come back and be able to address that."

I'm glad they addressed that and hopefully put it to rest, though they should not have had to address unfounded rumors in this difficult time. Some heart-warming family stories at the link as well. Praying for his family's sake that Tim will be found soon.

 

[Atlmom]

This quote is from the same CNN post mentioned above by det.penny.......which verifies how out of character Timothy's disappearance is. Everything points to something very stressful going on in his life.....my guess is that it is something which occurred fairly recently, Just my opinion.

"Pat Upshaw-Monteith, president and CEO of Leadership Atlanta, said she had recently met with Cunningham because he was taking on one of its highest-level volunteer positions. "Everything seemed to be going very, very well for him -- and then for him to disappear, it just doesn't add up,", she said."

 

[keepitsimplestupid]

Oh, very interesting! And confusing. Wsbtv needs to be a bit more careful with their reporting. Especially on such sensitive topics! They’re usually not so sloppy. They’re my preferred local news outlet.
So, did they (correctly) ID that body? I haven’t checked the news (or done/seen/heard anything that would interest most adult people, for that matter) since picking my 3 wild and crazy kids up from school this afternoon.

Interesting thing about this....

A body was also found in a Dunwoody retention pond a couple of weeks ago. Dunwoody and Gwinnett are about 40 minutes apart. Other articles specify that Nucera was the man found in the Dunwoody pond, which makes sense because he lived in the Dunwoody area. I think WSBTV has made an error in reporting that it was the Gwinnett pond. Every other article states it was the Dunwoody pond.

“Dunwoody police officers found the body of 37-year-old Mark Nucera on Feb. 10 in a pond behind a house on Kingsland Drive, Dunwoody police spokesman Sgt. Robert Parsons said in a news release. ”

http://www.ajc.com/news/local/polic...y-found-dunwoody-pond/yxr6ORi0rzO4b3VYWETNkK/

http://www.11alive.com/article/news...ied-at-missing-man-from-dunwoody/85-523424287


That being said, several residents who saw the body in the Gwinnett pond have stated it was a white male. Sadly, bodies found in ponds have been common in the Atlanta area lately.

 

[keepitsimplestupid]

You are sweet for taking the time to write out all of that - thank you so much! 😊 Glad someone understands. I’m sure it happens a lot. Make room on the bench!!

Nothing wrong with your sleuthing skills. Please don't feel bad. It was not a useless post. You shared some good thoughts that could even prove helpful for other cases as well.

But if it makes you feel any better, the same thing happens to me all the time. Must be a Murphy Law thing for WS posting.

The minute I post, there is an update that changes everything, or I find a late post from someone else up thread that I missed. Which had i seen it beforehand would have caused me to completely change how I worded my post.

So, feel free to join me on this 'can't believe I did that' bench. I'll move over and make room for you...

 

[opi15]

Many of the comments from family members in various interviews have suggested that something was up that they were aware of and concerned about already. His father's plea directly for him to come home also suggests he might feel he left on his own accord.

So just a thought but if the best case scenario is that he did leave on his own accord and got some help (i.e. treatment at a hospital) then maybe he doesn't want his family to know where he is.... According to privacy rights though, hospitals can disclose patient information to law enforcement when there is a case of a missing person. So the family wouldn't know but police could. Given the fact that he was reported missing on Feb 16 and I'm pretty sure Atlanta Police are still actively making statements about his case as recently as yesterday(I think), this is probably not likely the case though.

 

[Gardener1850]

This quote is from the same CNN post mentioned above by det.penny.......which verifies how out of character Timothy's disappearance is. Everything points to something very stressful going on in his life.....my guess is that it is something which occurred fairly recently, Just my opinion.

"Pat Upshaw-Monteith, president and CEO of Leadership Atlanta, said she had recently met with Cunningham because he was taking on one of its highest-level volunteer positions. "Everything seemed to be going very, very well for him -- and then for him to disappear, it just doesn't add up,", she said."

BBM. Does "volunteer position" mean he would have extra responsibility without extra pay? Usually that is what it means, IME. From his parent's description Tim was already a very hard working man who had trouble taking a vacation. I wonder if he took on too much responsibility and then couldn't figure out how to back out of the position gracefully without it hurting his career? Best case scenario at this point would be he had a mental breakdown from stress but is somewhere safely recovering. JMO.

 

[liz b.]

Hi, all! First time posting.
Just read TC texted his mom @ 5:21am the day he was last seen with "are you awake?"
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/26/health/missing-cdc-doctor/index.html

Hmm, Tim would drive 130 miles up to Tuskegee AL, to have his pup's teeth cleaned. He took his dog to Cambridge MA when he was doing both the Masters and his PhD. Does not sound like he would just leave the dog in the house , unless he had fully intended to return fairly quickly. jmo

 

[keepitsimplestupid]

That’s the way it sounds to me. And honestly, not to unfairly judge their family specifically (but maybe just super duper “close” families as whole), but I can imagine the “closeness” of his family only adding to the pressure he may have been feeling.
I consider my family “close knit.” We’re all local, my sister and I are close in age and she’s one of the few people I consider my friends, my parents are our babysitters and come play with the kids every other week or so on top of the babysitting (which is frequent, as my youngest has health issues and has lots of doctors appts so my parents watch our older two while those happen).
In my opinion, based on the frequency of their phone/text convos, and especially a few specific comments that the family has made recently that struck me as odd, I would consider his family to be more “enmeshed” than “close.” His mother saying that he needs to come back because he “competes their circle” and a few days ago saying something along the lines him breaking the family “rules” (not an exact quote, “tendencies” may be a better word than “rules”) by not keeping in constant contact. I know of families like that. Just... strange. To word things the way they have. My inlaws are that way. My husband was the first to break away and start his own family and there was a huge power struggle and adjustment when he became more focused on and influenced by his own self and his own family than them.
I kept thinking that there was no way Timothy would up and leave without notifying his close family menebers. They seem to know his every move. But maybe that was part of the problem. ..?

BBM. Does "volunteer position" mean he would have extra responsibility without extra pay? Usually that is what it means, IME. From his parent's description Tim was already a very hard working man who had trouble taking a vacation. I wonder if he took on too much responsibility and then couldn't figure out how to back out of the position gracefully without it hurting his career? Best case scenario at this point would be he had a mental breakdown from stress but is somewhere safely recovering. JMO.

 

[LisaWL7TR]

Antidote for weather like that in Georgia : "Rainy Night in Georgia " by Brooke Benton...so evocative.

early winter it was when the lights went out in ga. 37 hours for us.

 

[LisaWL7TR]

Hi, all! First time posting.
Just read TC texted his mom @ 5:21am the day he was last seen with "are you awake?"
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/26/health/missing-cdc-doctor/index.html

Welcome, det.penny!

 

[kiwi50]

I hope the police have been able to get into his computer, I think the answers will be there, he was a meticulous planner, if he intended to start a new life I think there would be clues there.
If he was going to kill himself, maybe no clues there.
I’m sure he was smart enough to know the pings on his phone would track him down, he certainly doesn’t appear to want to be found.

 

[Cherry]

I worry w the flu cases, must check all clinics walk ins and hospitals. He was sick, this flu strain kills.

 

[houndpounder]

BBM. Does "volunteer position" mean he would have extra responsibility without extra pay? Usually that is what it means, IME. From his parent's description Tim was already a very hard working man who had trouble taking a vacation. I wonder if he took on too much responsibility and then couldn't figure out how to back out of the position gracefully without it hurting his career? Best case scenario at this point would be he had a mental breakdown from stress but is somewhere safely recovering. JMO.

Yes without pay. However, with his education and position and mention "he was taking on one of its highest level volunteer positions quoted by President and CEO of Leadership in Atlanta it could be an honor to be asked. Here is a link to read about it in general. The position was not at CDC but Leadership in America. https://www.leadershipatlanta.org/LeadershipAtlanta

 

[Truman]

Do we know if Timothy is currently involved with anyone romantically, or has been in the recent past?

 

[Atlmom]

Truman- nothing has been mentioned about his past or present relationships. I've wondered if he had a recent break up, is on a dating site, could possibly be involved with someone and it's not working out but he's having trouble breaking it off, or involved in a love triangle, or with someone whom he works with..... which I'm guessing would be against company policy. All could be stressful. Just speculation of course.

 

[NewMama]

Timothy’s story is trending on Apple News - I just read the CNN article. Subscribing to his thread & starting from the beginning. Sad for his family - they love him very much.

 

[greycoupon]

For those of regulars who have followed a ton of cases. Exactly how many times has a disappearance turned out to be someone going off to start a new life somewhere? I think I remember a case of a husband in the Pacific NW doing it to abandon his wife and kids but besides that? Starting a new life is hard with technology these days. You can['t just move to a new town, find the grave of a dead child who would have been about your age in the local cemetery and get their birth certificate. I know people like the theory because it usually means the victim is a jerk but still alive. But it really doesn't hold up in 2018.

I could possibly imagine Tim thinking everything was too much and him wanting to walk but based on how close his family was, he would have told them something if he was thinking clearly. Even a simple text would have prevented this search.

I don't think there was foul play here. If he walked away, his mental state would have had to be really bad. Add to the fact that he left his car, wallet and ID behind. He wasn't getting far and I am sure the police have checked credit card activity. I hate saying it but I think he killed himself and his body just hasn't been found. It definitely sounds like his family thinks he left of his own power and they knew him best.

In terms of him getting the flu. While not a medical doctor, he was an expert on public health. He would know what the signs were. Hospitals have been checked. If he was that sick he surely would have gone to the doctor, driven himself to the hospital or called 911. It is really hard to imagine a scenario that he was so but decided to go to hospital...on foot or by bus. So sick that he left his wallet and id at home but managed to lock the door on the way out.