Tai Yung Lau, a 53-year-old Chinese immigrant, disappeared from Tampa, Florida, on June 20, 1981. He left home that morning to walk to the Chinese restaurant on Buffalo Avenue where he worked as a cook but never arrived. His employer described him as very dependable, never late and never having missed a day of work. All of Lau’s personal belongings were found undisturbed in his apartment.

Lau’s background is detailed: he escaped a forced labor camp in China in 1967, swam eight hours to Hong Kong, got work on a ship, and jumped ship in New York in 1969 to seek asylum. He later obtained a work card and moved to Tampa to save money to bring his wife and daughter to the United States. Accounts about his disappearance conflict on key points: some say he did not own a car and could not drive, while others report he sold a car the day he vanished and spoke about returning to China. What happened to him after June 20, 1981, remains unknown.

Did anyone in Tampa or the restaurant community know Lau’s routine or remember seeing him that morning?