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Ian Burnet, 22, left his Richmond, Va. residence on Dec. 26, 2011 to travel to New York City to stay with friends.
An engineering student who came to New York City to celebrate the New Year holiday with friends has not been heard from since Dec. 30, and sources say the 22-year-old has a history of suicide attempts, according to NBC New York.
Ian Burnet, who studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, left his Richmond, Va., home the day after Christmas and took a bus to New York, where he planned to rent an apartment for a week with friends, authorities said.
Burnet's last known contact was a text with a friend on Dec. 30. He was seen that afternoon at the apartment where he had been staying on 139th St. and Riverside Drive, but he left without his cell phone, according to The New York Daily News. He reportedly didn't say where he was going.
“It’s completely out of character. We have no reason to think that he would do something like this,” Nancy Burnet said, reported The Daily News. The last time she heard from her son was via text on Dec. 27, after he visited Central Park, she said.
Concerned family and friends took to Facebook and the online community Reddit to spread the word about Burnet's disappearance. Burnet's older brother Jamie, a Reddit user, responded to one user who asked, "Have you ever thought he DOESN'T want to be found?" and said, "Yes. There's a very real possibility that he took his own life, and I'm trying not to think about it. He has a history of depression, and there have been scares before. But he didnt leave any last messages behind, which would be extremely uncharacteristic ... I'm hoping that's not the case."
According to NBC New York, investigators learned that Ian Burnet has attempted suicide at least three times in the past, at least once by combining alcohol and taking prescription pills. His family has said he doesn't have a history of drug abuse or alcoholism.
Read the full story on NBCNewYork.com
Burnet is thought to have brought his driver's license and credit cards with him, but the charge cards haven't been used since he vanished, his family said, reported The Daily News.
Investigators tracked his MetroCard to the 145th Street station on the northbound 1 line, close to the West Harlem apartment where he was staying on the day he disappeared, law enforcement sources told NBC New York. They're reviewing video footage from cameras at the station in search of clues.
On Wednesday, police officers searched the boiler room, three empty apartments, and an elevator shaft in the building where Burnet was staying, reported NBC New York, a routine search in a missing person case.
Burnet's father and brother traveled to New York to post flyers and join the search for him, which is being conducted jointly by police in New York and Virginia, reported The Daily News.
On his Reddit Page, Jamie Burnet wrote of his brother, "We've put up fliers and we've talked to the shelters and the cops but I don't know what else to do. He has a history of depression and he was in a strange place. He was an engineer, a redditor, and the most important person in my life. I need your help. I realize that this subreddit has only the minutest fraction of the population of New York City subscribed, and even all of reddit combined, all of the INTERNET put together, would not represent a hopeful percentage, but I don't know what to do."
The Facebook page dedicated to finding Ian had more than 2,200 members as of Thursday morning. Another site, FindIanBurnett.com, was also set up to spread the word about his disappearance.
Ian Burnet is described as 5'8'', 131 pounds, with dark green eyes and curly brown hair. Anyone with information is asked to call the New York Police Department at (212) 690-8811.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
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Obviously, I really hope that they eventually hear from him. But man, it does not sound good. Best of luck to his family!
Agreed. After 13 days I find it difficult to stay hopeful.
I stopped reading as soon as I saw "sources say the 22-year-old has a history of suicide attempts".
Sorry but if this person doesn't feel like their own life is worth living, then why should I feel like they are important enough to read about?
Longhair, your compassion for a troubled young person is overwhelming. Shame on you.
Minaharker - it's a fair question to ask.
If someone doesnt want live, and be here and go through life...it's selfish of us to try to keep them here, in pain and suffering...just so we dont hurt.
what are the odds that this kid was going to mentally get better? i'd say slim to none.
I hope he's ok, but if he took his life...I wish him nothing but peace in death. It's clearly what he was looking for.
Longhair
what's-a-matta you!
Jessica, what an abominable post. For one thing, it is a sign of compassion to care about your fellow human beings -- even if they are depressed and/or suicidal. Let alone caring about his family, who must be going through h#ll right now. If you (or Longhair) don't want to read it - fine. Don't. Just go away. Taking the time out of your lives to post cold, borderline nasty comments says a lot about your priorities and your capacity for compassion. As for the odds of getting better -- in the vast majority of cases of clinical depression it is caused by a chemical imbalance that is either transient in nature or treatable. Many, many once suicidal people have gotten the help they need and gone on to live happy lives. The nihilist view you espouse to -- the "if someone wants to kill themselves, what right do we have to stop them" nonesense -- is cruel in the extreme. Many people attemot suicide in despair, unable to see the future at that moment, but there is a future if they live long enough to get there. Suicide is final. It is irreversible. It is untreatable. Do we not, as human beings, owe it to each other to do what we can to help each other? Is it not our moral duty to do what we can to improve each other's lives? What is wrong with trying to help someone past that despair to reach their future? No, not everyone can be helped. Yes, some/many will eventually succeed. It will all but kill those who loved them. But doing what one can to save a person suffering from depression is not about saving their family pain -- it is about them. And if you are concerned about selfishness -- what is more selfish than committing suice, knowing full well that it will devestate those who love you? Why is that selfishness ok with you?
Longhair-
Please tell me you do not have kids, if so, where are you located so I can call Social Services
So the mother says "it's completely out of character" and "we have no reason to think he would do something like this". But the sister says "it's possible" and "he has a history of depression". Sounds to me like they are talking about 2 different people. By the way, where does a college student get the money to rent an apartment in NYC? Maybe instead of renting an apartment, he's with the OWS people.
It was his brother, for starters. The brother did state it was uncharacteristic for the kid to try suicide without leaving a note or message behind. But anyway, what do you expect the mother to say? What mother who clearly loves her child would ever want to say it would be be totally expected for their child to drop off the face of the earth without a word? Give the poor woman a break. I cannot imagine what she must be going through.
Longhair, apparently you do not understand depression. It is not a conscious choice individuals make, it is an illness and can be caused by a chemical imbalance. I think the life of a young college student is very important, just as anyone's life is very important. It could very well be that this person just has not yet received the proper treatment to allow a normal life. I sincerely hope he just needed some time alone and is found soon.
A large number of people in the US "understand" and suffer from depression. So I don't know what you are smoking. Go read Hamlet. If someone cannot handle suffering why should they? Sure you can give them a lobotomy (either surgically, electrically, or with drugs) and they will no longer be "depressed".
Destroy-4346000, is Dr. Kevorkian your uncle?
This story just breaks my heart! What a cute kid. There is too much depression affecting the younger generation! It needs to be recognized and treated.
To "treat" it you would have to fix a corrupt world.
Destroy, you clearly know very little of the real world and your chosen name reveals a lot about your mindset. That's all the food I have for the troll.
saddened, did you forget your meds today? Your chosen names may lead me to believe you are depressed and need help. You keep dogging on everyone who has a different point of view. Ease up.
I hope they can find this young man alive and safe and get him the help he needs to overcome his depression.
Pray that they can find her somewhere working on her projects and pray that God's protection is with her at all time.
This is an unfortunate occurrence. However, there is a wife, mother, and school teacher from Sidney, MT, who has been missing for nearly a week. I've heard nothing about her on national news, including NBC. She went jogging early Saturday morning and has dispappeared. The only thing left behind was a jogging shoe, identified as hers.
There was an article here on msnbc a few days ago that was up for a couple days and lots of people were posting.
the story about the missing teacher has been on GMA the last 2 days and ABC NEWS
Has anyone checked Rikers Island?
The police are working an active missing-person case on him. I'm fairly confident they check for incarcerated or hospitalized persons of his description.
I'm not trying to be cruel but maybe he doesn't want to be found. He did leave his cell behind. Most people don't do that. Especially in a foreign city to them. Hope is found though.
I do hope he is found alive and well - soon.
It is a harsh world. If the kid wants to kill himself I see no reason why he shouldn't have that right. Only slaves are forced to live a miserable existence.
“It’s completely out of character. We have no reason to think that he would do something like this,” Nancy Burnet said, reported The Daily News.
According to NBC New York, investigators learned that Ian Burnet has attempted suicide at least three times in the past, at least once by combining alcohol and taking prescription pills. His family has said he doesn't have a history of drug abuse or alcoholism.
Sounds like his family is in denial.
One way or the other, hope they find him, so his family can stop wondering what happened to him.
I agree, a history of depression and suicide attempts does not sound promising.
it's nyc, his body has probably been in the gutter for days and nobody bothers to call it in.
NYC sucks! That's all there is to it.
He is my coworker's nephew. He's just a kid who went to NY to visit his friends for the new year. Please remember that he and his family are human beings who are suffering. I would appreciate it if everyone could stay away from negative, nasty, or callous comments. I do not wish on any of you what this family is going through now. Send some love out - thanks to those who have made supportive comments <3
Well, sure are a lot of ufo sightings lately in NY. He could have been abducted by one. Just saying
He's in Canada eating with the Frenchies. At 5'8" and 130+ pounds he needed a sandwich!!!!