Disability group hires detectives to find man missing in Paris

A DISABLED support group has hired a private detective agency to help track down a Dublin man who went missing in Paris last week.

Concerned relatives of Brendan Brady gathered at the weekend at the family home in Palmerstown, west Dublin, as they waited on news from the French capital.

There has been one positive sighting of the 42-year-old physically disabled man since his disappearance at Eurodisney last Wednesday. A ticket collector at a station near Place Saint Augustin said he saw a man fitting Mr Brady’s description. Both the Irish Embassy and private detectives employed by RehabCare are checking the report.

Mr Brady suffers from scoliosis, a curvature of the spine that makes walking difficult, and has a speech impediment.

The Dublin man is not mentally impaired. His mother Eileen, who issued an appeal for help in finding her son, described him as an intelligent man.

Mr Brady also had some money, around €100, at the time of his disappearance. He lives independently in Dublin.

Six RehabCare staff members are in Paris to co-ordinate the search for Mr Brady. Posters have been put up in parts of the city, including main stations.

Local radio stations and a city newspaper also promised to issue appeals for information.

Chris Macey, RehabCare spokesman, confirmed the charity has hired a private detective agency and that the embassy is checking reports of a sighting by a ticket collector in a railway station.

Mr Macey particularly appealed to Irish people travelling between Paris and Ireland to be on the lookout for Mr Brady. A family member said last night they remain deeply concerned for the safety of Mr Brady but remain hopeful he will turn up safe.

The missing man was on a holiday to Paris organised by RehabCare, a charity dedicated to helping the disabled live independent lives.

He became separated from the rest of the group as they were about to leave Eurodisney following a visit.

Mr Macey said: “The Rehab-Care staff who were on the trip are obviously very upset about Mr Brady’s disappearance. They are extremely professional people who reacted immediately to this very difficulty situation.”

While French police normally do not launch missing person’s investigations for 48 hours, the Department of Justice here intervened and issued an alert through Interpol.

RehabCare said hundreds of its clients go on foreign trips every year and that all proper procedures are followed.

If anyone travelling to Paris has any information, they can contact a RehabCare staff member on 087-6593733.