Missing Chicago Man Possibly Sighted in Worth, Father Says

Caption: John Cunningham Jr., 27, was visiting his parents in Palos Park when he went missing on Oct. 30. Cunningham grew up in the south suburbs.

Cook County detectives told the parents of a missing Chicago man that there were two reported sightings of their son over the weekend.

John Cunningham Jr., 27, was visiting his parents in Palos Park when he went missing the morning of Oct. 30.

The missing man’s father told Patch that Cook County Sheriff’s Police detectives were following up on two separate sightings of Cunningham Jr. on Harlem Avenue at 119th and 115th Streets sometime on Saturday.

His father told Patch that his son walked out of the house barefoot and wearing only a gray T-shirt and black sweatpants after an upsetting phone call related to his job. Cunningham Jr. did not take his wallet or cell phone with him.

Cunningham Jr.’s parents are pursuing all theories in the search for their only son, focusing on Evergreen Park where the family lived during their son’s grammar school years.

“We talked to a psychologist friend of ours,” his father said. “She thinks he’s probably going to regress and go back to his comfort zone, so we’ve been focusing on Evergreen Park.”

Cunningham Sr. believes that his son could have picked up shoes and clothing at a homeless shelter or church. His parents are reaching out to suburban homeless shelters.

Searchers were out again on Monday looking for a Chicago man who has been missing since Oct. 30.

The missing young man attended Loyola University as an undergraduate students. He moved back to the Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood on the North Side after finishing law school at the University of Virginia. His father said his son had a high level, executive job.

Cook County Sheriff’s Police led a massive ground and air search of the Palos forest preserves over the weekend, involving 200 professional searchers and tracking dogs, along with helicopters equipped with thermal imaging equipment.

Family, friends and volunteers from three Palos churches also went door to door to passing out fliers and speaking to neighbors.

The sheriff’s police went back to regular duty Monday, although other law enforcement agencies continued to search area.

“If we get urgent information we will go back,” Sophia Ansari said, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.

Ansari said that the weekend’s search yielded no trace of Cunningham Jr.

“I think he’s on a spiritual quest,” his father said.

Anyone with information about John Cunningham Jr.’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Cook County Sheriff’s Police at 708-865-4896 or call 911.