A 22-year-old man who was reported missing by concerned family members may be suffering from depression over the death of his father, his mother said Wednesday.
Last week, Vincent Rossetti drove from his Peachtree City home to his sister’s residence in Birmingham, Ala., where he stayed Tuesday through Thursday.
Then he said he wanted to leave about midnight.
Her son had been depressed and recently started acting like he was hearing voices, Pam Rossetti said.
"His father passed away in a plane crash two years ago," his mother said. "Vinnie's never dealt with the loss of his father."
Family members had to wait 24 hours to file a missing person report, so Pam Rossetti called Peachtree City police Friday night.
“We called him a gazillion times,” Pam Rossetti said.
But his phone was off and no one heard anything until Sunday afternoon, when a Tennessee state trooper found Vinnie Rossetti parked on the side of the road.
At first, the trooper thought the car had broken down, Pam Rossetti said. Then, the trooper thought he might be under the influence of drugs or alcohol because he was hearing voices, she said.
“Because it’s a small town, the trooper thought he was doing us a favor driving the car to the hospital,” Pam Rossetti said.
After staff determined Vinnie was not intoxicated, they had no legal right to hold him. He got in his car and drove away before his family arrived.
“Of course, I freaked out,” Pam Rossetti said.
Hoping he had headed back home to Peachtree City, Pam Rossetti left, too.
“By the time we got to Chattanooga, that same trooper called me and said he found Vinnie’s car at the marina,” Pam Rossetti said.
Now, Vinnie Rossetti’s family thinks he is alone in the cold without a car and phone.
Authorities have been searching the marina by boat and the surrounding woods by helicopter, but Vinnie had not been found as of Wednesday afternoon.
His family said they believe he ditched his contacts and may be wearing dark-framed glasses. He is described as 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, with blue eyes and blond hair.
Anyone with information should contact 615-215-3000.
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