Search For Missing West Haven Teacher Draws National Attention

WEST HAVEN, CT — The search for a man who has been missing from West Haven for nearly eight weeks is drawing national attention. Gil Cunha went missing in the early morning hours of his 50th birthday and his family is worried sick.

Cunha was last seen by a family member May 7 in the area of Overlook Avenue in West Haven, according to a Silver Alert issued by police. There have also been several billboards and hundreds of "missing person" posters along the shoreline in an effort to help find him.

A family member told Dateline NBC that Cunha’s father saw him watching television between the hours of 12 a.m. and 2 a.m. Cunha was gone by the morning. Family members said it was unlike him to take off without contacting his family, and they are also concerned because he had been experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus and had self-quarantined for three weeks prior to his disappearance, according to Dateline.

Lori Kenney, Cunha’s cousin, told Dateline that he left behind two cell phones, credit and debit cards, cash and his passport.

Cunha, who had been living in Europe for the last decade, moved back into his parents’ house in West Haven in November when he began working as a teacher for the West Haven Public School system, according to Dateline.

Cuhna is described by police as a white man with brown eyes. He is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs about 175 pounds. He has a shaved head and beard with mustache. He was last seen wearing a royal blue baseball cap with a "T" on the front, a gray and blue windbreaker, and either a red or green bandana to cover his mouth.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the West Haven Police Department at 203-937-3900.

Read more at Dateline NBC here.