Police investigating disappearance of Mercer Island man as kidnapping
Feb 29, 2024, 6:52 AM
Washington State Patrol's Silver Alert for Curtis Engeland. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Patrol)
(Photo courtesy of Washington State Patrol)
The mysterious disappearance of a Mercer Island man is now being investigated as a kidnapping case, according to the family of 74-year-old Curtis Engeland.
Over the weekend, the Washington State Patrol pushed out a Silver Alert for Engeland. He was last seen on Feb. 23 at around 6:30 a.m. KIRO 7 went to the neighborhood of 62nd Avenue Southeast on Mercer Island, Engeland’s last known location. Neighbors expressed their concern about the situation.
“I was very shocked,” Jessica Le, Engeland’s neighbor, said.
Laurie Goeken said she’s been Engeland’s neighbor for 10 years and they are very close. She said Engeland is an avid hiker and gardener.
“He brings over flowers, vegetables,” Goeken said. “He attends our family events.”
She told KIRO 7 that from the beginning, she and neighbors felt something was truly off about the set of circumstances.
“In fact, it feels like a nightmare episode of CSI, right? Except it’s about somebody we care about so deeply,” Goeken said. “So, it is just very, very difficult to process and understand.”
One of Engeland’s family members said multiple agencies are involved with the investigation. While there is still a lot that is not known about what happened, those who know Engeland are holding on to hope.
“And we do that because we love him and care about him,” Goeken said. “And we want him back, and we want everything to be just fine for him when he is back.”
If anyone has any information about Engeland’s whereabouts, they are urged to call 911 immediately.
