ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The search for 61-year-old Stephen Michael Wehrman is over. Wehrman was recently found safe in Chicago, Illinois after he disappeared from the St. Louis area in June.
Editorial note: The video above originally aired on June 15.
Marty Wehrman, Stephen’s brother, told 5 On Your Side’s Robert Townsend that a case manager with a Chicagoland homeless shelter reached out to him and said his brother was safe at the facility. Marty said he was able to talk to Stephen who recalled the day he disappeared nearly three months ago.
The St. Louis County Police Department started searching for Stephen when he never arrived to work after leaving his home on June 6. Police said Stephen hadn’t contacted anyone since he left for work and was last seen that morning at a U.S. Bank Branch in St. Louis.
Now that Stephen had been found, he told Marty that he had gone to the bank branch that day to withdraw some money from his account. He used the money to travel to Chicago because “he was still grieving their mom who died last November and he just needed to get away.” Stephen paid $960 to catch a cab to Chicago, his brother said.
Marty told Townsend that more than 40 years ago, when Stephen was a teenager, Stephen went to visit their aunt who recently lived in Chicago.
“That’s possibly also why he chose to go to Chicago,” Marty added.
Stephen told Marty and his other relatives that he spent time in parks and homeless shelters while he was in Chicago.
Two of Stephen’s relatives drove to Chicago on Monday and brought Stephen back to St. Louis. They said he is fine and plans to return to work at Bartolinos South restaurant next Tuesday.
Stephen is a friendly person who is always on the go and is an avid walker, Marty said.
“(Stephen) has the mind of a 3rd grader, but he’s very street smart and knows how to get around,” Marty added. “We’re just glad that he’s okay. This is a happy ending to the nightmare.”