Missing
Vincent S. Lamouris
Lamouris, approximately 2002
Date and time person was reported missing : 01/25/2002
Missing location (approx) :
Niagara Falls, New York
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 05/31/1983 (38)
Age at the time of disappearance: 18 years old
Height / Weight : 6'1, 160 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : Possibly a size L or XL black zippered winter coat, a long-sleeved black wool sweater with the Ralph Lauren logo on the chest, size 10.5 black leather Mephisto shoes with a buckle on the side, and a white metal Rodania wristwatch with a black leather strap.
Medical conditions : Lamouris attempted suicide two years prior to his disappearance. He had apparently made a complete physical and mental recovery by the time he vanished, but he may have been depressed at the time he was last seen.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Light brown hair, blue eyes. Some Age at the time of disappearance: ncies refer to Lamouris as Vincent Colpaert. He has metal plates inserted in his right leg and foot, and several scars on both legs and feet.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Lamouris left his native Ghent, Belgium without warning on January 25, 2002. He told his mother he was going to school, where he studied mathematics with hopes of enrolling in the University of Ghent. He said he would be working at Pizza Hut that evening, and suggested his mother take the 9:00 a.m. train to her job in Brussels, Belgium instead of her usual one.
Unbeknownst to his mother, Lamouris planned to take that train himself to the airport. When he didn't return home, his mother called his workplace and found out he was not, in fact, scheduled to work that day.
Lamouris's mother reported him missing. In their investigation, police discovered he'd erased his computer hard drive, secretly obtained a passport and flown to New York City, New York.
Due to American immigration laws, Lamouris was required to purchase a return ticket upon his arrival in New York City. It's unclear whether he intended to use the ticket, which was booked for February 9; in any case, he didn't board his return flight.
Records show Lamouris's passport was used to cross into Canada at Niagara Falls on January 25 and re-enter the United States on January 31. He has never been heard from again.
Lamouris's backpack was found at Prospect Park in Niagara Falls, New York at 4:15 p.m. on February 2, the day after a heavy ice storm hit the area. It contained his passport, his return plane ticket, $10 in American currency, $25 in Canadian coins, a pocket knife, taxi receipts, 36 CDs of classical music, a CD player, and a hardcover copy of J.D. Salinger's classic novel The Catcher in the Rye. Lamouris identified with the book's protagonist, Holden Caulfield, a teen misfit who runs away to New York City after he fails out of high school.
Lamouris attempted suicide at Age at the time of disappearance: 16 by jumping off a six-story building. He later told his mother he had tried to take his own life because he was upset about his parents' divorce. He was severely injured in the fall; he spent six months in a hospital and was confined to a wheelchair for a year.
Lamouris made a complete physical recovery in the two years after the incident and appeared to recover mentally as well. He found a job, returned to school and was released from his psychiatrist's care. Niagara Falls is a popular spot for suicides, but no tEthnicity : of Lamouris's body was ever found there.
His mother hopes he didn't harm himself and instead began a new life in the United States or Canada. A bus stop, where anyone can board a bus without identification, is just down the street from the trash can where his belongings were found.
Lamouris is interested in classical music, philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche and Arthur Schopenhauer, and basketball. His case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
New York State Park Police
716-278-1777
September 2021 updates and sources
Ontario's Missing Adult Registry
The Buffalo News
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
