Nearly eight weeks have passed since a beloved Connecticut school teacher disappeared in the early morning hours of his 50th birthday on May 7, 2020, and family members are worried sick.
Gil Cunha, 50, was last seen just after midnight on May 7, at his parents’ home in the area of West Shore, Connecticut, according to a press release issued by the West Haven Police Department.
Gil’s cousin, Lori Kenney, told Dateline that Gil’s father saw him watching TV between the hours of 12 a.m. and 2 a.m. Later that morning, Gil’s mother woke up to find that Gil was gone.
“It wasn’t unusual for Gil to go out for a walk,” Lori said. “But when he didn’t return later that day, she knew something was wrong. He wouldn’t just take off without contacting his family.”
Both Lori, and Bob Tavares, who is another of Gil’s cousins, told Dateline that the family was also concerned because Gil had been experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and had self-quarantined for three weeks prior to his disappearance.
“He was never tested for the virus. But he wasn’t feeling well and decided to self-isolate in his room because he was afraid he had the virus,” Lori said. “He wanted to make sure his family was safe.”
Lori added that the family has considered that Gil's disappearance may be directly related to the Coronavirus, as symptoms can include altered mental status and confusion.
“But why haven’t we found him? Where did he go? Where is he?” Lori asked. She said these are questions she finds herself asking daily. “If something happened to him because of the virus, or if he harmed himself, or even if someone did something to him, we would still find him. But he’s just gone without a trace.”
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