Vincent S. Lamouris was 18 when he left his home in Ghent, Belgium, on January 25, 2002, telling his mother he was going to math class and then to work at Pizza Hut. In fact he had secretly wiped his computer, obtained a passport and flew to New York City. Passport records show he crossed into Canada at Niagara Falls the same day and re-entered the U.S. on January 31.

On February 2, 2002, Vincent’s backpack was found in a trash can in Prospect Park, Niagara Falls, New York. It contained his passport, a required return ticket for February 9, small amounts of U.S. and Canadian currency, a pocket knife, taxi receipts, 36 classical CDs, a CD player and a hardcover copy of The Catcher in the Rye. Two years earlier he had survived a suicide attempt and required lengthy hospitalization and a year in a wheelchair, though before his trip he had been released from psychiatric care and appeared to have recovered.

No trace of Vincent was found in the falls and the family believes he may have chosen to start a new life in the United States or Canada; a nearby bus stop would have allowed travel without ID. Does anyone have information about Vincent’s movements after January 31, 2002, or remember seeing him in the Niagara Falls area?