WEBVTT 00:00:08.269 --> 00:00:10.789 The views and opinions expressed in Cold and 00:00:10.789 --> 00:00:13.710 Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. All 00:00:13.710 --> 00:00:16.129 parties mentioned are considered innocent until 00:00:16.129 --> 00:00:18.929 proven guilty in a court of law. Cold and Missing 00:00:18.929 --> 00:00:22.390 also contains adult themes and languages. Listener 00:00:22.390 --> 00:00:26.230 discretion is advised. I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin 00:00:26.230 --> 00:00:28.989 -Sulkowski. And I'm your co -host, Eli Sulkowski. 00:00:29.250 --> 00:00:31.289 And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover 00:00:31.289 --> 00:00:34.789 cold cases and missing person cases. Hello, everyone, 00:00:34.789 --> 00:00:36.829 and welcome back to Cold and Missing. I'm your 00:00:36.829 --> 00:00:39.390 host, Ali. And I'm your co -host, Eli. Welcome 00:00:39.390 --> 00:00:42.310 back, everyone. Again, apologies at the top. 00:00:42.329 --> 00:00:44.789 Sorry we had to take last week off a little bit 00:00:44.789 --> 00:00:48.270 unexpectedly, but summer is winding down here. 00:00:48.329 --> 00:00:51.009 Labor Day is over. We're back to school. So, 00:00:51.090 --> 00:00:52.990 well, not that we're in school, but it's back 00:00:52.990 --> 00:00:57.009 to school season. And I'm sure a lot of you have 00:00:57.009 --> 00:00:59.969 little ones headed back to school. So we're back 00:00:59.969 --> 00:01:02.609 into the groove of things. Yes, that's right. 00:01:02.689 --> 00:01:06.950 We are about to usher in fall. And this week 00:01:06.950 --> 00:01:11.609 we are on episode 140. Yes, and this is a missing 00:01:11.609 --> 00:01:14.290 person case this week. All right, let's get into 00:01:14.290 --> 00:01:17.909 it. Let's do it. So just as a quick content warning 00:01:17.909 --> 00:01:20.450 at the top, this case does involve a young person. 00:01:21.349 --> 00:01:23.709 Today, we are talking about the missing person 00:01:23.709 --> 00:01:27.150 case of Michael Masaoay. And this takes place 00:01:27.150 --> 00:01:30.950 in San Francisco, California in January of 1989. 00:01:32.049 --> 00:01:35.049 But first, a little bit about Michael. Michael 00:01:35.049 --> 00:01:39.629 is 16 years old in 1989. He is a junior at Sacred 00:01:39.629 --> 00:01:42.129 Heart High School, where he was known as a nice, 00:01:42.209 --> 00:01:44.510 decent kid who enjoyed playing in the school 00:01:44.510 --> 00:01:47.750 band. He played the clarinet and carried it with 00:01:47.750 --> 00:01:51.849 him often. He is Filipino, stood about 5 foot 00:01:51.849 --> 00:01:54.790 tall, and weighed around 160 pounds in 1989. 00:01:55.650 --> 00:01:58.569 He had thick black hair, brown eyes, and wore 00:01:58.569 --> 00:02:01.870 glasses. He also had a distinguishing feature. 00:02:02.489 --> 00:02:04.950 White scars in the shape of spots that covered 00:02:04.950 --> 00:02:07.609 his body, but it's not very noticeable in photos, 00:02:07.769 --> 00:02:10.449 however. Michael lived at home with his parents, 00:02:10.689 --> 00:02:14.250 Conchita and Roger Masaoay. By all accounts, 00:02:14.349 --> 00:02:16.969 he was a typical teenager who loved music and 00:02:16.969 --> 00:02:20.169 had a close bond with his family. There was nothing 00:02:20.169 --> 00:02:22.909 going on in his life that would make his family, 00:02:23.009 --> 00:02:25.189 friends, loved ones think that he would want 00:02:25.189 --> 00:02:31.050 to run away. And now, a timeline of events. Wednesday. 00:02:31.550 --> 00:02:36.590 January 25th, 1989. The morning of January 25th 00:02:36.590 --> 00:02:39.849 began like any other. Michael woke up, got ready 00:02:39.849 --> 00:02:42.490 for school, and packed his dark blue duffel bag, 00:02:42.689 --> 00:02:46.030 which he used instead of a backpack. Inside, 00:02:46.250 --> 00:02:48.050 he placed his school books and his clarinet. 00:02:48.849 --> 00:02:51.930 Around 7 .30 a .m., he left home dressed in a 00:02:51.930 --> 00:02:55.129 black Adidas jacket over a purple shirt with 00:02:55.129 --> 00:02:58.090 blue corduroy pants and white leather Converse 00:02:58.090 --> 00:03:00.879 high tops. But Michael would never make it to 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:03.520 school that day, or he'd at least never make 00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:06.900 it into class. Later, his family would learn 00:03:06.900 --> 00:03:09.199 that Sacred Heart High School had actually been 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:12.979 closed that day, something that they only discovered 00:03:12.979 --> 00:03:16.460 after he disappeared. It's unclear if Michael 00:03:16.460 --> 00:03:19.520 knew he didn't have school. His parents seemed 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:21.439 to think that he likely discovered that school 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:23.599 was closed when he arrived there that morning. 00:03:24.939 --> 00:03:27.919 That morning, Michael was spotted at 9th and 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:32.120 Harrison Street. Later that afternoon, he was 00:03:32.120 --> 00:03:35.500 seen again at 7th and Market Street. It's about 00:03:35.500 --> 00:03:39.099 an 18 -minute walk between those two spots. Both 00:03:39.099 --> 00:03:42.580 times, it was reported that he was alone. It's 00:03:42.580 --> 00:03:45.000 unclear exactly the timeline of Michael being 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:47.960 reported missing. It does seem like his parents 00:03:47.960 --> 00:03:50.620 reported him missing that day, especially as 00:03:50.620 --> 00:03:52.659 they discovered that school was closed and he 00:03:52.659 --> 00:03:55.560 had been missing for hours at that point. but 00:03:55.560 --> 00:03:57.639 there are no details about how quickly police 00:03:57.639 --> 00:03:59.699 start looking for him and what efforts are made 00:03:59.699 --> 00:04:02.219 in the area in those critical first few hours. 00:04:02.919 --> 00:04:06.819 It does seem that police were not worried, that 00:04:06.819 --> 00:04:09.419 they thought Michael had simply wandered off, 00:04:09.500 --> 00:04:11.139 maybe was hanging out with friends, and that 00:04:11.139 --> 00:04:15.060 he would return home soon. January 30th, 1989, 00:04:15.539 --> 00:04:19.139 just five days after Michael was last seen, another 00:04:19.139 --> 00:04:22.740 case captured national attention. In Dublin, 00:04:22.899 --> 00:04:26.180 California, 12 -year -old Eileen Mishloff was 00:04:26.180 --> 00:04:29.420 kidnapped while walking home from school. Her 00:04:29.420 --> 00:04:32.000 case dominated the headlines, and Michael's disappearance 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:35.160 receives little coverage in the news. However, 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:37.639 the parents of Eileen do their best to bring 00:04:37.639 --> 00:04:40.139 awareness to Michael's case as well, as they 00:04:40.139 --> 00:04:43.420 campaign for their daughter. Eileen is still 00:04:43.420 --> 00:04:45.459 missing, and we'll cover her disappearance in 00:04:45.459 --> 00:04:50.060 a future episode. Saturday, February 4th, 1989. 00:04:51.500 --> 00:04:54.019 Ten days had passed before Michael's story starts 00:04:54.019 --> 00:04:56.879 hitting the newspaper for the first time. Police 00:04:56.879 --> 00:04:59.100 did not believe Michael had been kidnapped in 00:04:59.100 --> 00:05:01.360 the same way that they theorized that Aline had 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:04.720 been. However, police acknowledged that it is 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:06.600 strange for Michael to have been missing this 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:09.860 long and not returned home. Even more strange 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:12.399 that he hadn't been spotted by anyone since January 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:16.300 25th. Michael's parents had been searching tirelessly. 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:20.139 Conchita told reporters, quote, We have talked 00:05:20.139 --> 00:05:22.459 to his schoolmates and given leaflets to everyone 00:05:22.459 --> 00:05:25.160 we can think of. We're doing everything we can 00:05:25.160 --> 00:05:29.019 to bring him home. A community meeting of friends, 00:05:29.079 --> 00:05:32.500 family, and schoolmates, nearly 200 people, was 00:05:32.500 --> 00:05:34.939 held at a local church to organize the search 00:05:34.939 --> 00:05:37.980 and get the word out about Michael. From that 00:05:37.980 --> 00:05:40.600 meeting, weekly prayer vigils for Michael began. 00:05:41.850 --> 00:05:44.310 That same Saturday, friends and family continued 00:05:44.310 --> 00:05:46.889 the search throughout the city for any sign of 00:05:46.889 --> 00:05:49.589 Michael and hang missing person posters everywhere. 00:05:50.569 --> 00:05:54.110 But the weeks continued to pass. On February 00:05:54.110 --> 00:05:57.949 21, 1989, so Michael had been missing for 27 00:05:57.949 --> 00:06:01.769 days at this point. At St. Joseph's Church, weekly 00:06:01.769 --> 00:06:05.290 prayer vigils continued. His mom, Conchita, told 00:06:05.290 --> 00:06:08.870 those gathered, quote, This meeting is to revitalize 00:06:08.870 --> 00:06:11.660 interest in Michael. We are really baffled and 00:06:11.660 --> 00:06:13.819 frustrated that there's been no news to help 00:06:13.819 --> 00:06:17.180 us locate him. He's got to be somewhere or with 00:06:17.180 --> 00:06:21.040 somebody. We're still hoping he's okay. Every 00:06:21.040 --> 00:06:23.199 night we have a prayer for all missing children. 00:06:24.220 --> 00:06:26.920 After the vigil that night, volunteers continue 00:06:26.920 --> 00:06:30.720 their weekly ritual of hanging posters of Michael's 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:34.420 face throughout San Francisco. That same day, 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:38.199 unbeknownst to Michael's family, A couple was 00:06:38.199 --> 00:06:41.500 walking on Baker Beach. Baker Beach would have 00:06:41.500 --> 00:06:43.439 been about five miles from where Michael was 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:46.600 last seen near Market Street. An Army lieutenant 00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:49.399 and his wife are walking near the Presidio when 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:52.420 they came across a dark blue duffel bag that 00:06:52.420 --> 00:06:56.420 had been wedged under very large rocks. The lieutenant 00:06:56.420 --> 00:07:00.259 tried to pull it free, but couldn't. Even though 00:07:00.259 --> 00:07:02.860 he couldn't get it out, he managed to open it 00:07:02.860 --> 00:07:07.160 and look inside. He found a clarinet case, Two 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:10.379 books, a pair of dark trousers, and a white t 00:07:10.379 --> 00:07:13.699 -shirt. When he opened one of the books, he saw 00:07:13.699 --> 00:07:17.160 the name Michael Basalwe. The couple put the 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:19.240 belongings back in the bag and left it on the 00:07:19.240 --> 00:07:21.899 beach. They don't think to report it because 00:07:21.899 --> 00:07:23.779 they hadn't seen Michael's name in the news. 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:26.480 They weren't aware that they found the backpack 00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:29.439 of a missing boy who hadn't been seen in 27 days. 00:07:30.579 --> 00:07:34.430 Nearly a week passes. On February 27th, It's 00:07:34.430 --> 00:07:38.050 been 33 days since Michael was last seen. That 00:07:38.050 --> 00:07:40.829 day, the woman from the couple saw a news story 00:07:40.829 --> 00:07:43.889 about Michael's disappearance on TV. The couple 00:07:43.889 --> 00:07:45.829 called the police to report what they had found 00:07:45.829 --> 00:07:50.430 on the beach. The next day, February 28th, police, 00:07:50.670 --> 00:07:53.410 U .S. Park Police, and park rangers, accompanied 00:07:53.410 --> 00:07:56.689 by the couple, go back to Baker Beach to locate 00:07:56.689 --> 00:08:00.110 the bag. They're able to find it. It's still 00:08:00.110 --> 00:08:02.860 wedged between the rocks. But in the days since 00:08:02.860 --> 00:08:05.319 the couple had found the bag, it had been a week 00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:08.779 at this point, some items had gone missing. Only 00:08:08.779 --> 00:08:11.360 part of Michael's clarinet was all that was left, 00:08:11.500 --> 00:08:16.399 according to reports. Later that day, Michael's 00:08:16.399 --> 00:08:20.319 parents confirmed the bag was his. Conchita recalled, 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:23.620 quote, My husband bought him the bag. It was 00:08:23.620 --> 00:08:27.639 torn once and I sewed it. I saw the seam I sewed. 00:08:28.110 --> 00:08:31.189 The Massauis also told investigators that Baker 00:08:31.189 --> 00:08:34.409 Beach was familiar to Michael. He had spent time 00:08:34.409 --> 00:08:36.669 there with his family fishing the previous summer. 00:08:37.909 --> 00:08:40.470 Police searched the beach for additional evidence 00:08:40.470 --> 00:08:43.649 or any sign of Michael, but nothing more connected 00:08:43.649 --> 00:08:46.990 to Michael was found. They urged the public to 00:08:46.990 --> 00:08:49.370 come forward if anyone had seen Michael on the 00:08:49.370 --> 00:08:53.090 beach on January 25th or in the days after that. 00:08:54.070 --> 00:08:58.450 In May of 1989, It's been four months since Michael 00:08:58.450 --> 00:09:01.690 disappeared. A bill was signed that allocated 00:09:01.690 --> 00:09:05.190 $50 ,000 in reward money for kidnapping cases. 00:09:06.110 --> 00:09:08.730 Immediately, rewards were issued for missing 00:09:08.730 --> 00:09:12.309 children, including Michael. For the first time 00:09:12.309 --> 00:09:14.970 in official reports, his case was publicly linked 00:09:14.970 --> 00:09:19.309 to the possibility of kidnapping. On Sunday, 00:09:19.409 --> 00:09:22.870 June 25th, Michael has been missing for five 00:09:22.870 --> 00:09:27.309 months now. Michael's family celebrates his 17th 00:09:27.309 --> 00:09:30.610 birthday. There still had been no sign of him. 00:09:31.490 --> 00:09:35.129 The months and weeks continue to go on. In January 00:09:35.129 --> 00:09:38.049 of 1990, it's been a year since Michael vanished, 00:09:38.389 --> 00:09:41.269 San Francisco police published his name in the 00:09:41.269 --> 00:09:43.909 paper, officially classifying him as kidnapped. 00:09:44.289 --> 00:09:46.950 But then Michael's case really falls out of the 00:09:46.950 --> 00:09:50.450 news and goes cold. Over the years, there have 00:09:50.450 --> 00:09:52.929 been a few age -progressed photos of him created. 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:56.399 the most recent one being him around 40 years 00:09:56.399 --> 00:10:01.220 old, but he would be 53 years old today. So with 00:10:01.220 --> 00:10:03.480 that, if you know anything about the disappearance 00:10:03.480 --> 00:10:06.460 of Michael Masaoay, you are urged to contact 00:10:06.460 --> 00:10:10.820 the San Francisco Police Department at 415 -553 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:16.779 -0123. So that is the case of Michael Masaoay. 00:10:17.419 --> 00:10:22.059 Something that drew me into Michael's case... 00:10:22.620 --> 00:10:25.259 pretty immediately was hearing about the start 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:29.019 of his day, the familiarity of just going to 00:10:29.019 --> 00:10:31.639 high school and how you start your morning. It 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:34.480 was so palpable in the way that you described 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:38.519 it, particularly surrounding his duffel bag. 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:43.340 You know, we all had large bags or large backpacks 00:10:43.340 --> 00:10:49.720 in high school. And yeah, he just, I don't know, 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:54.279 felt... similar to me um just young and getting 00:10:54.279 --> 00:10:57.740 ready to start the day but it was a a process 00:10:57.740 --> 00:11:04.279 that I know really well just like you so so immediately 00:11:04.279 --> 00:11:09.019 I I could almost feel like I was next to him 00:11:09.019 --> 00:11:11.860 experiencing his morning yeah like the ritual 00:11:11.860 --> 00:11:16.620 of getting ready for school um this is like so 00:11:16.620 --> 00:11:20.120 familiar like I've been out of school for more 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:22.620 than a decade at this point but there's still 00:11:22.620 --> 00:11:25.960 such a familiarity about getting ready for school 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:28.220 and just like what that feels like I agree like 00:11:28.220 --> 00:11:31.600 knowing that Michael's morning started out like 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:35.399 every other morning is like comforting in a way 00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:38.000 but then also like that brings the mysterious 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:41.960 like of his disappearance up like it was just 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:45.639 any other morning which you know brings me to 00:11:45.639 --> 00:11:49.429 my first question about whether or not he knew 00:11:49.429 --> 00:11:52.049 he had school. You know, and obviously I have 00:11:52.049 --> 00:11:55.610 my opinion, but I'd love to know yours. Yeah, 00:11:55.669 --> 00:11:59.529 this is a really important area for me. If he 00:11:59.529 --> 00:12:02.129 knew or if he didn't. I'm thinking back to when 00:12:02.129 --> 00:12:04.009 like we would have a random Wednesday off in 00:12:04.009 --> 00:12:05.970 high school and teachers would kind of mention 00:12:05.970 --> 00:12:07.389 it like on Tuesday and they're like, oh, and 00:12:07.389 --> 00:12:10.029 we'll cover this again on Thursday. Like it would 00:12:10.029 --> 00:12:14.129 be mentioned throughout the school day. But at 00:12:14.129 --> 00:12:16.309 the same time, you know, according to his family 00:12:16.309 --> 00:12:18.750 and reports, like his family didn't know school 00:12:18.750 --> 00:12:20.789 was closed that day. And they don't think that 00:12:20.789 --> 00:12:24.509 Michael did either. But it's one of those things 00:12:24.509 --> 00:12:26.789 we might not know because there's also a part 00:12:26.789 --> 00:12:29.330 of me. And this is purely speculation, of course, 00:12:29.389 --> 00:12:34.210 but it's, you know, maybe he. Well, now that 00:12:34.210 --> 00:12:36.250 I'm thinking about it, he packed his bag like 00:12:36.250 --> 00:12:37.889 he was going to school, you know, like he brought 00:12:37.889 --> 00:12:41.269 his books, his clarinet. So maybe he like truly 00:12:41.269 --> 00:12:46.490 didn't know. I think what clarified my answer 00:12:46.490 --> 00:12:49.809 for myself, which was I don't think he knew, 00:12:49.950 --> 00:12:53.070 was remembering the time period that we're in. 00:12:53.690 --> 00:12:57.330 You know, when I saw 89 very quick, I was born 00:12:57.330 --> 00:13:00.129 in 88 very quickly. I was like, oh, he's my age, 00:13:00.210 --> 00:13:03.950 but he's not. He's 16 years older. And thinking 00:13:03.950 --> 00:13:08.409 about a person at that time in high school, you 00:13:08.409 --> 00:13:12.259 know, they didn't have the Internet or. They 00:13:12.259 --> 00:13:14.240 weren't communicating that way in the way that 00:13:14.240 --> 00:13:17.879 we do now. So I think if you're a busy, committed 00:13:17.879 --> 00:13:20.179 student, it's completely possible that you wouldn't 00:13:20.179 --> 00:13:23.340 know or that you would forget or someone didn't 00:13:23.340 --> 00:13:27.460 remind you. It seems more possible that even 00:13:27.460 --> 00:13:31.379 back in the late 80s, you could have gone about 00:13:31.379 --> 00:13:34.159 your day with talking to minimal people. Therefore, 00:13:34.379 --> 00:13:37.059 the information just wouldn't be shuttled over 00:13:37.059 --> 00:13:39.899 to him. I think I think all of that is true. 00:13:39.940 --> 00:13:43.440 And the fact that he packed his duffel bag for 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:45.519 the day with with the books, because I think 00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:48.220 if I was really trying to pull a fast one on 00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:50.080 my parents and be like, oh, they think I have 00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:51.399 school, I'm just going to spend the day doing 00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:54.059 whatever I want, which at 16 would probably be 00:13:54.059 --> 00:13:58.440 very tempting for me as a person. I think I would 00:13:58.440 --> 00:14:01.259 have left the books because they're just so heavy. 00:14:01.879 --> 00:14:04.419 But I don't know. I don't know. It's a mystery 00:14:04.419 --> 00:14:08.840 that. We don't have answers for him taking his 00:14:08.840 --> 00:14:12.759 clarinet as well. Something that made me think 00:14:12.759 --> 00:14:16.059 that maybe he really did. He really was planning 00:14:16.059 --> 00:14:20.580 to go to school. My follow up question specifically 00:14:20.580 --> 00:14:25.200 about the timeline is where the specific markers 00:14:25.200 --> 00:14:28.740 were that he was spotted. What is the distance 00:14:28.740 --> 00:14:34.419 from those like street markers to the school? 00:14:34.970 --> 00:14:38.750 Was he walking away from the school? That's where 00:14:38.750 --> 00:14:43.350 I was trying to seek clarification. So assuming 00:14:43.350 --> 00:14:47.250 that Sacred Heart in 1989 is still in the general 00:14:47.250 --> 00:14:50.129 area where it is today, Sacred Heart High School 00:14:50.129 --> 00:14:52.809 is still a high school in San Francisco, I tried 00:14:52.809 --> 00:14:55.730 to figure out if they had moved or renovated. 00:14:55.830 --> 00:14:58.629 I couldn't quite find it, so I think that the 00:14:58.629 --> 00:15:01.830 campus is still similar to where it was in 1989. 00:15:02.990 --> 00:15:05.909 So the first spot he's seen that morning at 7th 00:15:05.909 --> 00:15:08.710 and Harris, that's kind of southwest of the school. 00:15:08.909 --> 00:15:11.669 And it would have been about a half hour walk 00:15:11.669 --> 00:15:14.070 from the school to the place where he was spotted 00:15:14.070 --> 00:15:17.409 first that morning. And then the second spot, 00:15:17.590 --> 00:15:20.009 so that's going to be the Market Street area. 00:15:21.370 --> 00:15:24.429 That's an 18 minute walk from where he was seen. 00:15:24.529 --> 00:15:27.470 So that's kind of heading a little bit north, 00:15:27.509 --> 00:15:29.610 but still in the same general area of where he 00:15:29.610 --> 00:15:32.379 was spotted that morning. However, Baker Beach 00:15:32.379 --> 00:15:36.519 is about five miles away and he's like really 00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:40.120 headed northwest at that point. And it looks 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:42.460 like a pretty far walk. You know, just typing 00:15:42.460 --> 00:15:44.639 it into Google Maps, it looks like it would take 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:50.340 almost two hours to walk that distance. So that's 00:15:50.340 --> 00:15:52.820 a big question for me is what happened there? 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:55.860 Because I don't know and I'm not very familiar 00:15:55.860 --> 00:15:57.620 with San Francisco. I don't know if there's public 00:15:57.620 --> 00:16:00.679 transit that would really help. I don't get any 00:16:00.679 --> 00:16:03.440 options when I'm in Google Maps to like transit 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:06.480 this out and take it that way. So I don't know 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:09.279 if he got a car, if he got a ride. How did he 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:11.840 end up at Baker Beach? Did he in fact walk there? 00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:15.820 There's a lot of questions. I'm just going to 00:16:15.820 --> 00:16:18.580 vouch to say that I think that there was public 00:16:18.580 --> 00:16:22.220 transit, obviously. I don't know if he was using 00:16:22.220 --> 00:16:24.740 it. So it does look like actually there is public 00:16:24.740 --> 00:16:27.100 transportation, but it would take an hour still. 00:16:27.259 --> 00:16:30.580 So doable, but... That's a question. Did he ride 00:16:30.580 --> 00:16:32.799 public transit? Did anybody see him on public 00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:35.539 transit? It doesn't seem like we got any witnesses 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:41.159 after he was seen near Market Street. Okay, so 00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:43.440 we know that there's public transit in the area. 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:45.820 We don't necessarily know if he was using it 00:16:45.820 --> 00:16:49.279 either way. It's a pretty time -consuming ride, 00:16:49.399 --> 00:16:52.279 at least one way, about an hour. But walking, 00:16:52.500 --> 00:16:56.210 even... You know, mapping that out, I think the 00:16:56.210 --> 00:16:59.090 walking distance of how long it would take someone 00:16:59.090 --> 00:17:02.169 changes on person to person because the terrain 00:17:02.169 --> 00:17:08.430 of San Francisco is so hilly. Just kind of a 00:17:08.430 --> 00:17:10.410 wild terrain, especially if you've never been 00:17:10.410 --> 00:17:14.630 there before or navigated it. And with all of 00:17:14.630 --> 00:17:17.970 those kind of dips and valleys in the roads and 00:17:17.970 --> 00:17:23.839 neighborhoods, it seems like to me. It's a place 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:26.240 where someone could go missing quite easily. 00:17:27.339 --> 00:17:31.440 And then at Baker Beach, one thing that I was 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:35.380 like really interested in or like what's curious 00:17:35.380 --> 00:17:37.339 to me about Baker Beach, obviously, that's where 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:40.259 his duffel bag was found. But when it was initially 00:17:40.259 --> 00:17:43.660 found by the army lieutenant and his wife, it 00:17:43.660 --> 00:17:47.519 was wedged under like big, heavy rocks. How did 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:49.960 it get that way? That's a question I have because 00:17:49.960 --> 00:17:53.039 the army lieutenant, who I assume is kind of 00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:56.059 physically fit in some aspect, couldn't get it 00:17:56.059 --> 00:17:57.819 out from underneath the rocks or couldn't get 00:17:57.819 --> 00:18:01.039 it unstuck. He was able to open it. You know, 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:04.799 we do know that. But how did his bag get like 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:07.220 that? Because it doesn't seem like to me if the 00:18:07.220 --> 00:18:10.079 army lieutenant could get it unstuck that a 16 00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:12.119 -year -old boy would have had the strength to 00:18:12.119 --> 00:18:15.829 lift it. I'm glad that you mentioned his age 00:18:15.829 --> 00:18:19.970 again. I know Michael is 16 at the time. But 00:18:19.970 --> 00:18:26.470 regarding him being five feet tall, I think it's 00:18:26.470 --> 00:18:32.890 worth mentioning that that's a height of an average 00:18:32.890 --> 00:18:40.329 10 to 12 -year -old. Maybe a 10 to 12 -year -old 00:18:40.329 --> 00:18:44.039 is even just a little bit shorter. Even 4 '10 00:18:44.039 --> 00:18:47.319 versus 5 foot, it's not a huge difference. I 00:18:47.319 --> 00:18:50.599 think it's possible that Michael could have been 00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:53.339 mistaken for a child if this case is a kidnapping 00:18:53.339 --> 00:18:57.619 because of his height. Yeah, and there were a 00:18:57.619 --> 00:19:01.839 lot of missing girls at this time, but like all 00:19:01.839 --> 00:19:04.519 around the same age. I know I mentioned one of 00:19:04.519 --> 00:19:06.220 them, Eileen, but there were a few other cases 00:19:06.220 --> 00:19:10.099 of kids going missing around San Francisco. I 00:19:10.099 --> 00:19:11.799 think that's why it's kind of frustrating that 00:19:11.799 --> 00:19:14.640 Michael was initially written off as a runaway 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:18.039 or, you know, that he was playing some hooky, 00:19:18.140 --> 00:19:20.220 hanging out with friends. Like, it really doesn't 00:19:20.220 --> 00:19:23.079 seem like there was any urgency, even after other 00:19:23.079 --> 00:19:26.759 kids started showing up missing. We've said this 00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:31.980 in other cases before, and I'm sure our listeners 00:19:31.980 --> 00:19:37.660 agree with us here. But to me, it's treat. treat 00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:40.319 a case like this every single time like the child 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:43.000 is missing. Because at the end of the day, it's 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:48.140 a child. No child's case should be gaining more 00:19:48.140 --> 00:19:50.779 and or less attention. They all deserve the same. 00:19:50.900 --> 00:19:53.720 And they all deserve the same amount of effort 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:56.579 to be put towards them. And for this case specifically, 00:19:56.900 --> 00:19:59.500 I don't know why. I don't know if it was because 00:19:59.500 --> 00:20:07.400 he's a boy or if... Honestly, I don't know. I 00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:09.799 don't know why the story was kind of curved this 00:20:09.799 --> 00:20:13.640 way that that he was a runaway because so much 00:20:13.640 --> 00:20:16.160 time was lost because of that decision. And that 00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:19.319 that's very heartbreaking. Yeah. You know, there 00:20:19.319 --> 00:20:21.380 was nothing going on in Michael's life that would 00:20:21.380 --> 00:20:24.180 really lead anyone to think that he would go 00:20:24.180 --> 00:20:25.920 missing. You know, he wasn't fighting with his 00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:30.279 parents. He hadn't done this before. He was not 00:20:30.279 --> 00:20:35.029 really a candidate for a runaway. But it was 00:20:35.029 --> 00:20:37.569 said by the Army lieutenant that there was like 00:20:37.569 --> 00:20:40.349 another pair of pants and a white T -shirt in 00:20:40.349 --> 00:20:43.950 his duffel bag. I wonder, did he keep a change 00:20:43.950 --> 00:20:46.509 of clothes with him? Did he expect to have gym 00:20:46.509 --> 00:20:48.329 that day and maybe just wanted to change into 00:20:48.329 --> 00:20:52.250 some fresh clothes? The clothes are curious to 00:20:52.250 --> 00:20:54.890 me if that was something he always carried or 00:20:54.890 --> 00:20:57.250 if that was like kind of a strange item to be 00:20:57.250 --> 00:20:59.930 in his bag. Of course, when they recovered the 00:20:59.930 --> 00:21:03.519 bag, those items were gone. I will say for me 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:07.559 as a kid and teen who was active in school and 00:21:07.559 --> 00:21:10.839 sports and I did in my duffel that I carried 00:21:10.839 --> 00:21:15.599 for sports, I did have extra pairs of clothes 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:20.240 in my bag just because I was changing environments 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:22.119 a lot and getting sweaty and having to shower. 00:21:23.180 --> 00:21:25.859 I think maybe it's possible that those clothes 00:21:25.859 --> 00:21:29.160 were in there for marching band rehearsal or 00:21:29.160 --> 00:21:32.410 just another. set of clothes to change into afterwards. 00:21:33.269 --> 00:21:37.289 Again, it's all speculation, but I think there 00:21:37.289 --> 00:21:41.150 being a second set is still worth noting. Yeah, 00:21:41.150 --> 00:21:43.470 well, I don't think Michael ran away just because 00:21:43.470 --> 00:21:46.289 there was a second set of clothes, but I do just 00:21:46.289 --> 00:21:50.109 wonder if he anticipated something that day or 00:21:50.109 --> 00:21:53.289 if that could, like, lead to plans. Like, if 00:21:53.289 --> 00:21:56.390 he knew he was going to be at the beach and in 00:21:56.390 --> 00:21:59.480 case he got wet, you know, I don't know. There's 00:21:59.480 --> 00:22:01.859 just so much we don't know about Michael's case. 00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:05.140 So that just like leaves all this room for speculation 00:22:05.140 --> 00:22:08.380 and wondering and trying to put yourself in his 00:22:08.380 --> 00:22:10.759 shoes. But we just truly don't know. It's very 00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:14.220 threadbare case. Something that we do know for 00:22:14.220 --> 00:22:18.380 certain, though, is his mother knows immediately 00:22:18.380 --> 00:22:23.880 that it's his bag. And I think that was for me 00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:25.920 in listening, the most gut wrenching part is 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:28.950 not wanting it to be. And also probably wanting 00:22:28.950 --> 00:22:31.809 it to be and knowing that it is once you see 00:22:31.809 --> 00:22:34.970 a very specific marker on a bag that you fix 00:22:34.970 --> 00:22:38.490 for your son. I don't know. I really felt for 00:22:38.490 --> 00:22:41.930 her and the parents in that moment. I'm sure 00:22:41.930 --> 00:22:46.470 recognizing and realizing whose bag that was, 00:22:46.589 --> 00:22:51.970 to say the least, a massive moment for them. 00:22:53.930 --> 00:22:57.789 It's so sad that this case really... loses traction. 00:22:58.809 --> 00:23:01.549 I'm so proud of the community and that the way 00:23:01.549 --> 00:23:06.970 they showed up for this young man and that other 00:23:06.970 --> 00:23:10.690 parents of missing children advocated for him 00:23:10.690 --> 00:23:14.670 too. We see it time and time again, especially 00:23:14.670 --> 00:23:19.009 in the cold and missing world, especially when 00:23:19.009 --> 00:23:21.829 cases are involving missing children, the way 00:23:21.829 --> 00:23:26.309 communities rally around family of a missing 00:23:26.309 --> 00:23:30.170 loved one and that's you know that's exactly 00:23:30.170 --> 00:23:33.250 what's happening here yeah you know his mother 00:23:33.250 --> 00:23:37.490 I believe she is still alive and with us I saw 00:23:37.490 --> 00:23:39.630 a video of her that she did with the National 00:23:39.630 --> 00:23:42.309 Center for Missing and Exploited Children I think 00:23:42.309 --> 00:23:45.009 it was like six years ago but you can just tell 00:23:45.009 --> 00:23:47.670 how heartbroken she still is for her missing 00:23:47.670 --> 00:23:52.609 son and I really would love to get answers in 00:23:52.609 --> 00:23:57.009 this case and for Michael to be talked about 00:23:57.009 --> 00:23:59.970 be mentioned and for Michael to be looked for 00:23:59.970 --> 00:24:04.549 by others today like I I want energy in Michael's 00:24:04.549 --> 00:24:07.730 case I want his name talked about I want people 00:24:07.730 --> 00:24:10.569 to be thinking of him and you know looking into 00:24:10.569 --> 00:24:12.869 a stranger's face thinking oh could that be Michael 00:24:12.869 --> 00:24:16.299 Massawi like I just, I want that for him because 00:24:16.299 --> 00:24:18.220 I want it for his family. Like, I don't want 00:24:18.220 --> 00:24:20.339 them to feel alone in this search for him because 00:24:20.339 --> 00:24:23.599 I feel like they've just been alone. They didn't 00:24:23.599 --> 00:24:25.500 get the media. They didn't get the police. Like, 00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:29.380 there was so little resources for them. And that's 00:24:29.380 --> 00:24:31.779 just wildly unfair. And for a missing child, 00:24:32.059 --> 00:24:35.559 for me, anybody under the age of 18, we should 00:24:35.559 --> 00:24:38.730 know their whereabouts at all times. Not crazy, 00:24:38.769 --> 00:24:40.950 but like there's no reason a child should go 00:24:40.950 --> 00:24:43.569 missing in America and not be found. With the 00:24:43.569 --> 00:24:45.769 resources, with the wealth that we have, this 00:24:45.769 --> 00:24:48.069 is where energy should go is towards missing 00:24:48.069 --> 00:24:52.230 children. So again, if you know anything about 00:24:52.230 --> 00:24:54.910 the disappearance of Michael Masaoay in January 00:24:54.910 --> 00:24:58.930 of 1989 or his whereabouts today, please call 00:24:58.930 --> 00:25:03.009 the San Francisco Police Department at 415 -553 00:25:03.009 --> 00:25:08.940 -0123. If you are not already, please, please 00:25:08.940 --> 00:25:13.259 check us out on Instagram, our page at Cold and 00:25:13.259 --> 00:25:16.920 Missing. We post current missing person cases. 00:25:16.980 --> 00:25:19.539 And if there's any information we need to update 00:25:19.539 --> 00:25:22.140 you on about the podcast, you can find it there 00:25:22.140 --> 00:25:24.799 at Cold and Missing. This week, I will also have 00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:28.299 graphics of Michael with the age progression. 00:25:29.789 --> 00:25:32.450 Yeah, and please share those photos, the age 00:25:32.450 --> 00:25:34.130 progression. Like I said, let's get some energy 00:25:34.130 --> 00:25:36.829 in this case. Let's get his name out there. Let's 00:25:36.829 --> 00:25:41.210 let Michael Massawi be a known name and a known 00:25:41.210 --> 00:25:43.369 face. Let's get it out there. So if you could 00:25:43.369 --> 00:25:47.210 share it in your communities. On your socials, 00:25:47.210 --> 00:25:50.690 please do. It helps so much in these cases. And 00:25:50.690 --> 00:25:54.750 we also have on our website, www .coldandmissing 00:25:54.750 --> 00:25:57.650 .com, transcripts, the official transcripts. 00:25:57.650 --> 00:25:59.210 So I go through, I make sure everything is spelled 00:25:59.210 --> 00:26:01.109 correctly. So if you or someone you love is hard 00:26:01.109 --> 00:26:02.970 of hearing and needs to follow along that way, 00:26:03.089 --> 00:26:05.369 you can find them there along with all our past 00:26:05.369 --> 00:26:09.710 episodes. And if you could take a moment to leave 00:26:09.710 --> 00:26:13.369 us a review in your podcast player. Five stars, 00:26:13.529 --> 00:26:16.309 please. Five stars goes a long way. And if you've 00:26:16.309 --> 00:26:18.250 been listening for a long time, we would love 00:26:18.250 --> 00:26:21.789 those five stars from you. Absolutely. And, you 00:26:21.789 --> 00:26:23.789 know, one thing we hear again and again in the 00:26:23.789 --> 00:26:27.349 reviews is that there's so many cases, even like 00:26:27.349 --> 00:26:30.009 true crime fans, people who listen to a lot of 00:26:30.009 --> 00:26:32.710 podcasts have never heard of. So I take great 00:26:32.710 --> 00:26:35.150 pride in bringing these lesser known cases to 00:26:35.150 --> 00:26:38.410 you. So five stars will get these cases to more 00:26:38.410 --> 00:26:41.859 folks. Thank you so much for joining us and listening 00:26:41.859 --> 00:26:44.720 at Cold and Missing. I'm your host Allie. And 00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:47.240 I'm your co -host Eli. Have a good week and stay 00:26:47.240 --> 00:26:48.980 safe y 'all. Stay safe y 'all.