Despite an intense effort by his family, the Congolese community and Portland police, Samuel Mugisha has not been seen since he left his North Deering apartment on Nov. 4.
www.pressherald.com
"Samuel Mugisha, 21, was last seen at his apartment at 8 a.m. on Nov. 4. His family, the Congolese immigrant community and the Portland police have been searching for him since then to no avail."
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Samuel Mugisha, 21, has been missing since he was last seen at his North Deering apartment eight days ago.
Family photo
“We are trying to stay calm by hoping we will see him soon and putting our focus towards the search,” said Mugisha’s uncle Jean-Paul Ruhosha, who flew to Maine from his home in Washington, D.C., on Monday to help his family. “We’re hoping he’s going to be fine.”
Mugisha’s family said he suffers from a mental illness that sometimes renders him non-verbal, and causes him to forget where he is and faint. His family believes his disappearance might be connected to his illness.
The week before Mugisha went missing he had an episode of severe mental challenges and spent a week at Spring Harbor Hospital, a nonprofit psychiatric hospital in Westbrook, his family said.
Following his hospitalization, Mugisha was staying with an uncle in Westbrook. Without informing his uncle he was leaving, he went back to the Portland apartment he shares with his cousin, Heritier (Fred) Itangishaka, on Auburn Street in North Deering on Nov. 3."
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Mugisha came to the United States in 2014 from Nairobi, Kenya, and is part of the tight-knit Congolese Banyamulenge community in the Portland area. He attended Westbrook High School and played on the soccer team.
Mugisha’s family said he works as a caregiver at Safe Residential Care and Granite Bay Care and that he’s almost always either working or at church. When he’s not, he spends his time at the gym, reading and praying."
My question:
I don't know how mental hospitals work. If he had been picked up by LE or taken himself to a hospital, is his family allowed to confirm he is there? What if he told them he didn't want them to tell his family?