Edgar Latulip Was The First Person In History To Solve Their Own Missing Persons Case
Any solving of a missing persons case where the person missing is found alive is one to be celebrated, especially when the case is solved after three decades.
But one Canadian case had an ending nobody expected when it was solved by the man who went missing!
Many Missing Persons
Somewhere between 70, 000 to 80, 000 people get reported missing in Canada every year, and while many of these cases are solved quickly, others can last for years.
Some can even last for decades!
Edgar's Story
One of these cases involved a young man by the name of Edgar Latulip.
In 1986, Edgar was reported missing in the Waterloo region of Ontario, and it was over three decades before the case got cracked.
Potential Runaway
In 1986, Edgar was 21 years old. When teenagers and young adults go missing, there's always a chance that they ran away rather than other more nefarious situations.
Edgar's own situation was complicated.
He'd Bought A Bus Ticket
On September 2nd, Edgar purchased a bus ticket to Niagara Falls.
After this, he wasn't seen again in any official capacity for over three decades. His mother, Silvia Wilson, was distraught.
Edgar's Struggles
According to Silvia, Edgar was struggling with some mental difficulties at the time of his disappearance. She stated that her son was not mentally stable and had impaired functionality.
This meant that she was extra worried.
Historical Issues
Edgar had spent most of his life living in various hospitals and group homes on various medications to help with his psychological issues.
One of these medications that he was on at the time of his disappearance inhibited his development.
He Was In A Group Home
At the time he disappeared, Edgar was living in a local group home and not with his family or in a more stable environment.
He seemed to disappear without a trace.
His Mother Hadn't Seen Him
Edgar was also living off a disability pension which he used to pay for the room in the group home he was staying at that also provided him with a daily meal.
His mother said that the last time she'd seen her son was in January of that year.
Safety Concerns
Nine months before Edgar's disappearance, Silvia had visited her son in the hospital after he was admitted for safety concerns.
This all meant that when he disappeared, Silvia was extremely worried for her son's safety.
Police Became Involved
The bus ticket Edgar had purchased was to Niagara Falls, and given Edgar's history of mental health concerns and hospital visits, Silvia was worried.
Sgt. Randy Close became involved in the investigation.
Low Expectations
"We're concerned for his well-being because of his state of mind," Randy said of the investigation.
"When people just disappear like this fellow for that long, then we figure the worst."
Technology Was Lacking
Because Edgar went missing before the age of the Internet, the technology used to try to find him was different than you'd expect today.
One method was introduced in 1991, five years after Edgar first went missing.
They Put His Picture Up
The non-profit organization Victims of Violence introduced the idea of using airport terminal screens to highlight images of missing persons, and Edgar's photos were one of these cases.
It appeared fruitless.
Leads Were Followed
Several leads were reported while Edgar was missing, including a sighting of him in 1993 in the nearby town of Hamilton, Ontario.
This, however, was a dead end. Some people were losing hope.
His Mother Tried To Keep Hope
Silvia tried to remain hopeful that her son would be found.
She was also worried that someone had taken advantage of her son's mental state and feared for the worst.
She Was Distraught
"When Edgar disappeared, I became quite sick," Silvia said of her son's mysterious disappearance.
"I had to take a leave of absence from work. I was near a nervous breakdown."
She Wanted Closure
Silvia wanted her son to be found so that she could finally have closure one way or another.
"This is always at the back of my mind. Having an answer would mean closure," she said.
More Years Passed
Then in 2008, 22 years after Edgar had gone missing, Waterloo police decided to raise attention and awareness to 20 missing persons cases in the area that were still active.
Edgar's was one of them.
It Was Personal
"I've met a lot of these families. We’re on a first-name basis, and I’d love nothing more than to bring closure to all of them," Sgt. Richard Dorling said.
"All of these cases deserve attention."
Then It Happened
It would be another eight years before the next development, but this was a huge one.
On February 10th, 2016, Edgar was found alive and well in the city of St. Catharines, less than 100 miles from where he had disappeared.
He Found Himself
He wasn't found by the police or by another concerned citizen: it was Edgar himself who came forward.
He revealed he had traveled to the Niagara region in 1986, where he had sustained a serious head injury.
He Had Lost His Memory
This head injury left him unable to remember who he was or where he had come from originally.
This meant Edgar had no idea anyone was looking for him at all.
He Started Fresh
His only course of action at the time was to create a new identity for himself and start a new life.
He had no idea that he had family in Waterloo waiting for him to return.
He Was Assigned A Social Worker
During his time in St. Catharines, Edgar struggled with homelessness, for which he was assigned a social worker.
Eventually, when he remembered his name, he shared that information with his social worker.
They Searched Him Online
His social worker had the forethought to search Edgar's name online and was shocked to find the missing persons case that was still open for him.
The social worker and Edgar went to the police to confirm his identity.
It Came Down To DNA
They were then able to compare a sample of Edgar's DNA to a sample given to the police by Silvia, and it was a match.
After three decades, Edgar had been found — by himself!
It Was Unbelievable
"I don't think anyone that I’ve spoken to has heard of a case like this, other than a story made for TV," said police constable Phil Gavin of the unbelievable story.
He was right about that!
Next Was Reuniting The Family
A reunion was immediately planned to bring Edgar and his mother back together again.
While they were both eager to be reunited, it was also an understandably stressful and nerve-wracking situation.
Edgar Was Nervous
"There are nerves," Edgar said. "You haven't seen your family members in all these years, and now a reunification process."
"I think it's a lot to take in," he added.
Happy Ending
The family was happily reunited, and the story had the most unexpected happy ending!
Edgar's case at the time held the title of the longest known active missing persons case where the person was found alive, and potentially the only one to be solved by the man himself.
