Hamilton man missing since 2019 found alive in US, by voluntary search group

A Hamilton man who has been missing for nearly four years has been found alive by a volunteer search party.

Michael Samdass, now 43, was last seen in Toronto in September 2019, but was found in the United States on Thursday.

“It’s so important to do what the Samdass family did, never give up,” Brett Robinson, the case analysis director for Please Bring Me Home (PBMH), told CBC Hamilton in a phone interview.

Hamilton Police Const. Krista-Lee Ernst, an information officer, said in an emailed press release that Samdass was found “in good health.”

So far, Samdass’s family last saw him on September 3, 2019, when he left his home in Stoney Creek. He was spotted two days later in downtown Toronto, but then seemed to disappear.

At the time, HPS said it was “out of character for him” and his family was concerned.

“I’m thrilled to share that my brother is… ALIVE!”

Reisha Dass-Fisher, one of four Samdass siblings, said in a Facebook message Thursday “I am thrilled to announce that my brother Michael, who has been missing since September 2019, has been found and is alive!”

Dass-Fisher said the family is still gathering details and “values ​​privacy” as they follow next steps.

“Thank you all for your continued support and love during this challenging time. We are deeply grateful to Please Bring Me Home, Hamilton Police Service and all the incredible individuals who have supported us,” she wrote.

“Their unwavering help led to the whereabouts of our missing brother, and we cannot express our gratitude enough. The road ahead is a long one, but today was a good day.”

Dass-Fisher previously told CBC Hamilton that her brother was “super social, outgoing, charming and always well dressed,” but in 2017 he became “withdrawn” and “agitated all the time.”

“We had tried to help him to see if something was wrong mentally or if he had been hooking up with the wrong people. We tried to find out what was wrong, but we couldn’t.”

When Samdass went missing, it shattered the family.

In 2021, they posted a $25,000 reward in hopes of finding him.

How was Samdass found?

It is unclear whether Samdass wanted to be found.

Robinson notes that the family did not want him to share the exact circumstances of Michael’s discovery, but said that as far as he knows Samdass has been found and they will be reunited.

Some of the tactics used to find people include street searches, talking to family, using public records such as property registers or facial recognition software, and other companies or consultants.

He said PBMH enlisted Reed Research, an Ontario-based research firm, to help with the search.

Robinson said the team “found a picture of someone we thought might be” Samdass.

He said the team worked with Diligence International Group, a US research firm, which had enough information to lead the groups to believe they had found Samdass.

From there, the team contacted Hamilton police, who then worked with Toronto police to identify Samdass.

“They personally went to the family yesterday to let them know they had found him,” Robinson said.

“That’s why we do what we do. Bring closure to the family.”

A PBMH Facebook post said, “Make no mistake, Michael was found because his family continued to be rowdy.”