The mother of a missing FIU law student who hasn't been seen since November 2 says his car, facebook account, and credit cards haven't been touched, and she fears foul play.
Denise Daniels said her son Tommy "acted as if he was being threatened," telling a friend "They're coming to get me" before leaving a CiCi's Pizza in west Miami-Dade. Tommy Daniels hasn't been heard from or seen since, a situation possibly complicated by the fact he wasn't reported missing by friends for nine days.
At 6'5", 230 pounds, the third-year law student was hard to miss around FIU's campus. Daniels lived and worked part-time at a campus fraternity house, where his car sat while over a week went by without his fraternity brothers or his girlfriend hearing a peep. He was reported missing Wednesday afternoon.
"He has never done anything like this before,'' said Denise Daniels from her home in southern California. She was unware her son was missing until police knocked on the door of her sister's home in Gainesville on Thursday to see if Tommy Daniels might be visiting. "He has his own life, but he always checks in with one of us...The last time I spoke to him, he told me he was seeing a psychiatrist. I hope it's a mental thing and not that bad people were after him."
"I just don't understand why they waited nine days."
Miami-Dade police confirmed on Friday that the missing persons case is being investigated by FIU campus police.
"We continue to monitor the situation," said FIU's Senior Vice President for External Relations, Sandy Gonzalez-Levy. The campus police have sent flyers to other stations and the school newspaper plans to run a story next week. Anyone with information about Daniels is asked to call FIU Police Sgt. R. Diaz at 305-348-2626 or 305-348-2633.
