Missing Special Olympian Found in Northern California

A 44-year-old man from Albania who participated in the Special Olympics World Games and who went missing from the USC campus turned up early this morning in Hayward in the San Francisco Bay area, police said.

“At about 2 a.m. he walked into our front lobby and he used the phone. Somehow we were able to communicate with him. We figured out who he was,” Hayward police Lt. Guy Jakob said in a telephone interview.

Andi Gusmari -- who speaks no English and has a speech impediment -- was alone in the Bay area more than a day and hundreds of miles after he disappeared from the USC campus.

“He’s healthy. He’s not injured,” Jakob said, adding that authorities have no idea how he got to Hayward.

Hayward officers were aware that a Special Olympian had disappeared so they were not totally surprised when he turned up at their headquarters, he said. Gusmari was relaxing in a room at the police department while arrangements were being made for his return to Los Angeles, Jakob said.

Gusmari last was seen about 8:30 p.m. Saturday on the USC campus, Los Angeles police officer Jack Richter said.

Richter said the athlete, who participated in the bowling competition, was categorized as a critical missing because of medical issues.

City News Service