‘He just disappeared without a trace’: Family desperately searching for missing Portsmouth veteran
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Thirty-two-year-old Hector Olmeda normally calls his 10-year-old daughter two or three times per day, but he hasn’t called in over a month.
His uncle, William Rodriguez, said Olmeda was visiting Portsmouth to help a buddy who was going through a tough time. He traveled from Chicago to Portsmouth and stayed at a Wilcox Avenue residence.
Rodriguez said the family last heard from him Feb. 27.
Missing man last seen Feb. 27 in Portsmouth
“Hector is nowhere to be found since the buddy went to the hospital,” Rodriguez said. “He’s not at the residence where he was staying. The residence is empty.”
Rodriguez called this “uncharacteristic” for Olmeda. He said Olmeda is always in contact with family.
“He has a 10-year-old daughter that’s [staying] with her mom,” Rodriguez said. “He communicates with her two or three times a day, but he hasn’t since Feb. 27. The second part is his mom’s birthday was last week and his baby’s sister. He didn’t talk and he didn’t call him. He talked to his mom more than he talked to anybody else and his daughter.
“So that’s not him, you know. He’s always on social media. He’s 32. He’s always on social media. He always had his phone with him, so there has been no posting since Feb. 27, since Feb. 27, and also since he talked to his mom the last time. That is not characteristic of him.”
Portsmouth Police released an alert stating Olmeda had been missing since Feb. 27. Police said Olmeda had a history of mental illness.
Rodriguez said police have been diligently looking for him, but the family needed to do their own search.
He said he traveled from Alabama and his father from Chicago to look around the area.
“We visited homeless shelters, especially the peak hours, breakfast and dinners,” he said. “We have posted flyers around the neighborhood where he stays at the Wilcox Avenue neighborhood. We even searched some wooded areas around the place.”
Rodriguez said police shared a recent development.
“We did find out that the police, I guess, went into his bank account,” Rodriguez said. “He hasn’t spent any money or anything from his bank account in over a month. So he can’t just be on the streets. If he is on the streets by himself, where? We know that … the more time it goes by, … [a] negative outcome can happen. Nothing makes sense right now for us.”
Rodriguez remains hopeful his nephew will come home.
He even shared a message directly with his nephew.
“Hector Jr., if you’re out there and you need help and you’re in the best situation, no matter what’s going on, no matter what happened, you’re our family,” Rodriguez said. “We love you. We care for you. Just reach out to us. We will deal with whatever it is that concerns you later. We will be here for you, good or bad, so just reach out to [us]. Don’t be afraid. There’s no judgment here. We will take care of you. Your dad misses you. Your mom misses you. We miss you, so please reach out to us.”
If you have information on Olmeda’s whereabouts, contact the Portsmouth Police Special Victims Unit at 757–393–8536. Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact the Crime Line at 1–888-LOCK-U-UP.
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