By David Lohr
April 25, 2007
FORT WORTH, Texas (Crime Library) — Robert Stephen Brown, 49, faced many problems throughout his life. His marriage to the love of his life ended in divorce, addictions to drugs and alcohol pushed his family and friends away and his health took a turn for the worse when a staph infection cost him two of his toes and diabetes practically robbed him of his eyesight. Robert had little hope, and he was resigned to accept whatever fate life had in store for him.
Most people in Robert's shoes would have sunk into a deep depression, but the love of his two children and the support of his sister helped him keep his chin up. He never gave up hope. He got off drugs and alcohol and last month doctors gave him some encouraging news. They wanted to perform laser surgery on his eyes to remove lesions caused by dead blood vessels. If the operation were successful, he would get most of his eyesight back. In addition to the good news Robert received from his doctors, he was also notified by the Social Security Administration that they had approved him for disability benefits, and he would soon receive a check in the amount of $18,000 for back compensation. Things were starting to look up for Robert. He could finally do something he had not been able to do for a long time — he could smile without hesitation.
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Robert Stephen Brown |
On Thursday, March 8, Robert's 14-year-old daughter came for an overnight visit. The following morning, Robert told his daughter he was going to take a bus to a friend's house in River Oaks. He explained that he had left his state-issued assistance card there during a previous visit, and he needed to retrieve it so he could purchase groceries. That was the last time anyone saw Robert. No one can verify that he got on the bus, and his friend claims he never showed up to pick up his card. Later that afternoon, Robert's daughter asked her mom to pick her up, since her father had not come home. The following day, Robert's sister started to get worried.
"I called my brother on Sunday night, and he was not there," Robert's sister, Deborah Lohr, said in an interview with Crime Library yesterday afternoon. "Then, I called every hour from 3 o'clock to 11 o'clock Sunday evening. I thought maybe he had gone back to the hospital and had not had a chance to call, but when I checked, he wasn't there. I called my mother, and she had not heard from him. By Tuesday, I knew something was wrong, and I called the police."
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