S.D. Family Asks Help in Finding Missing Man, 55

The family of a 55-year-old San Diego man who has been missing for more than two weeks and may be suffering from a memory lapse has asked for the public’s help in finding him.

Henry L. Foster Sr. was last seen Dec. 10 when he went bowling at Leisure Lanes in Lemon Grove. His car, a 1977 green Toyota Celica, was found in a parking lot of a trolley station at Market Street and Euclid Avenue, said Francine Williams, a daughter of the missing man.

She said her father, who suffers serious memory lapses and is often disoriented because of a stroke in 1984, may have taken a trolley to San Ysidro and crossed the U.S.-Mexican border to watch dog or horse races. “He liked to play the races, and he would do it for therapy and keep his mind active,” Williams said. She said he would have someone take him to the races several times a week.

Foster also is being treated for severe depression, Williams said.

Williams’ brother, Henry Foster Jr., went to Tijuana in search of his father and distributed fliers with his father’s picture over the weekend and Monday. He heard of several possible sightings by Tijuana residents, but his search proved futile.

The American Consulate has been told of Foster’s disappearance and is aiding in the search, Williams said.

Williams described her father as a gentle man who is “approachable, enjoys people and enjoys talking a lot.”

San Diego police spokesman Bill Robinson said the department has received reports of sightings of Foster but none have panned out. He added that most sightings have been reported in Southeast San Diego, where Foster lived.

“It could be a marvelous Christmas for the family if he’s found,” Robinson said.

Foster is black, 5-foot-11, 155 pounds, with curly, gray-black hair and brown eyes. As a result of the stroke, he walks with a limp on his left side and has trouble holding things with his left hand. He is a retired construction contractor and has six children, ages 29 to 38.

Anyone who has seen Foster is asked to call San Diego police at 236-6566 or Williams’ home at 264-5177.

A search is also continuing in the La Mesa-El Cajon area for a 56-year-old man suffering memory losses because of Alzheimer’s disease.

Paul Peterson was reported missing from his La Mesa home Dec. 15. He was last believed to have been seen in the Lakeside area.