Community Corner

Have You Seen This Man? Missing Man Last Spotted in Pennsylvania

Michigan man, 33, suffers from mental disorder, according to sheriff's report. Parents tracking son's credit card activity online.

Police are trying to locate a 33-year-old Michigan man reportedly missing since March 26 and apparently on the move.

Herbert Thomas Rhode has been missing since he left his parents’ home in Oakland Township and began traveling by bus and taxi, according to Rhode's father, Herbert W. Rhode, who says he has been tracking his son's credit card activity online. In February, Rhode was diagnosed with a mental disorder that affects his perception of reality, according to Oakland County Sheriff’s reports.

Rhode's father said his son had been seeking treatment for the disorder when he went missing. Last Wednesday, Oakland County Probate Court granted guardianship of Rhode to his father, who filed the missing persons report the next day with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office substation in Oakland Township.  

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According to the police report, Rhode’s last known location was Philadelphia, where his father said Rhode's credit card was used on April 18 to pay for food. Rhode has been traveling throughout the Midwest and East Coast since he left his parents' home, stopping in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Nashville, TN, Indianapolis, Harrisburg and Charlotte, NC.

"That's part of the illness he has," the father said. "He's paranoid that people are watching him, so he keeps moving around.

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"He went from Charlotte to Philadelphia and paid a guy $1,500. His sense of reality isn't real at this time, and unfortunately, he has resources to (travel)."

Rhode has a master's degree in finance, completed law school and practiced law in Richmond, VA, until about a year ago. Then, according to his father, Rhode had a psychotic episode in January that forced his parents to get involved.

"We brought him back here to get help," the elder Rhode said. "Unfortunately, we figured it out and started to get him help, but then he just decided to take off, and we haven't seen him since."

Herbert Thomas Rhodes is listed in the NamUs Missing Persons System. His physical description is as follows:

Nickname: Bert
Age: 33
Height: 
71-72 inches
Weight:
 175-190 lbs
Eye color: Hazel
Complexion: Medium
Facial Hair: Stubble


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