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Garrett : UPDATE 6 MAY 2007

2 MAY 2007

This letter really starts back in October of 2005; the last time anyone in my family saw or heard from Garrett.
History first…
After many months of fruitless attempts to contact Garrett through his last known telephone numbers, email address and residential address, in August of 2006, I reported Garrett missing to the police in Duxbury, Massachusetts.  When many more months had passed without any contact, I wrote the letter I mailed to police, newspapers and elected officials.  Out of that letter, I was given the location of a company – Convergys – where Garrett was reportedly employed.  After over a month of unsuccessful attempts to contact Garrett through this company, I flew to Denver after work on April 30th, 2007, rented a car, and drove to Pueblo, Colorado.  I arrived at the business address given to me by an agent of the CBI at around 3:30 AM on May 1st, the place looked closed, so I found a room at the closest motel.
I went to Convergys’ office later that morning and met with Sr. Human Resource Manager Mary Herrera.  She told me that she could not tell me anything beyond the fact that Garrett worked the night shift and that he was “a very nice young man,” citing privacy laws which prevented her from sharing personal information like Garrett’s home address or telephone number.  She also stated several times – with the security guard within earshot – that I could not wait in their waiting area for Garrett to come to work, or even on the Convergys property (i.e. parking lot).  Observing the building and parking areas in the light of day, I noticed that there were “Private Property” signs posted at each entrance to the parking lots.  I left and went back to my motel to rest.
I returned to the Convergys building, at 1228 East Orman Avenue in Pueblo, at around 6:45 PM and sat in my rental car, in the periodic heavy rain, on the street next to the “Private Property” until 9:10 PM when I spotted Garrett walking up the main entrance.  I jumped out of the car and caught up to him just as he was about to swipe his card and enter the outside door.  I was so excited and emotionally charged, that the following description is only my best recollection of what actually happened.  I write this while again sitting in my rental car, off the “Private Property” of Convergys, at 7:00 AM on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007.  I’m jumping ahead of myself, but the reason I am sitting in the car, instead of having breakfast with Garrett, as we had planned the previous evening, is due to the fact that when I arrived to pick Garrett up, I was informed by the security guard that “he does not want to see you.  Please leave the property.”  I spent almost an hour driving around all of the streets near the Convergys building (which takes up an entire block of “Private Property,” plus a large parking lot across the street) unsuccessfully looking for Garrett.

Back to the exciting part, last evening when I did actually touch/hug/squeeze/talk-with/take-one-photo-of my long lost son, Garrett!!
	 
Part of my brain must have known that everything was not as I would have hoped: the Garrett I was seeing was not the Garrett I have always known and loved.  As I mentioned, I was so excited and relieved to actually be seeing and touching and talking with Garrett, that I was not really seeing him as he really is.  I can only guess what that means, because as I said, I was seeing what I wanted to see: my long lost son, returning to the fold of his loving family, and me as the oh-so-fortunate representative of the search party.  Garrett came and sat in the car with me for about five minutes.  I babbled about how much I/everyone loved and missed him, that he has several new nieces and nephews, and another on the way, asking him “how are you?” over and over, touching and hugging him, asking him in as non-threatening a way as I could “why have you been out of touch?”  He mentioned loosing his wallet, and being in the process of moving, as reasons for his lack of contact and not wishing to share his home address.  I gave him my cellular and the motel telephone numbers and he agreed to have me pick him up this morning and go out to breakfast together.  I wanted to wait until then to more slowly and gently explore the “whys” behind his absence.  But you already know the rest.

I sat in the car and cried tears of intense joy, and could not even drive for 15-20 minutes after he went into the building last night.  But I am just dumb-struck this morning (maybe due to the smarter part of my brain already knowing or expecting that this would happen), and all I can do right now is write this down.


Observations I made, and thoughts I had, during the hours I sat outside Convergys waiting for Garrett to show up:
·	The people who I assume work for Convergys at this location (because I saw them swipe their way into the building), for the most part arrived separately – in their own vehicle, or being dropped off (they left in a similar fashion) – and did not interact with the other employees who happened to be standing near where they were walking, or passing in opposite directions.  No visible communication was noted, with the exception of several couples that either arrived or left together.
·	The staff – all three security guards and the HR manager – were Hispanic (no value; just my observation).
·	All of the employees were young and white; most were “individualists” (multiple facial piercings, tattoos, distinctive hairstyles and clothing, etc.).  Whether this has any meaning, I do not know.

Among the questions running through my head:
·	Do I call the Pueblo Police and ask them to help me storm the building and make them give me Garrett’s home address (I assume it is within walking distance, based on his not being soaked upon his arrival to work in last night’s rain)?
·	Do I call HR Rep. Mary Herrera (and ask her what)?
·	Or, do I just go and check out of my motel, drive back to Denver International Airport and return my rental car and wait for my flight home, which doesn’t leave until 11:28 PM this evening?

Future ideas:
·	Write to Garrett c/o Convergys.  Express my joy at seeing him, even if for only a scant few minutes, and while respecting his right to privacy as an adult, request some kind of explanation for his one-sided separation from his entire family.  I feel that he owes us at least that much.
·	Write to the Federal and State departments that oversee businesses, and request an investigation into the standard and practices their employees’ are required to work under.  Let some light into the situation.
·	Write to Convergys and tell/ask them…..what?

Closing thoughts…

While I wholeheartedly welcome any and all suggestions for future efforts at establishing a connection with Garrett, my present frame of mine makes it ill advised for anyone to even comment on the steps I have taken thus far (what I did, how I did it, timing, etc.).  I am quite capable of beating myself on the head for whatever reason(s) Garrett has for severing his ties with me/us.  I can promise, that regardless of the purest of motives one might have for commenting on the past, I will most likely respond in a way that I will probably regret after I have done it.  Forewarned is forearmed…

Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers.  Please continue; for Garrett, me and his entire family and all of his friends.

UPDATE 13 MAR 2007

After receiving information last week from Agent Brown of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation that Garrett is working for a company in Pueblo, Colorado, I called the office and have requested their assistance in contacting Garrett.  I have left telephone messages several times, but have not heard back from Garrett or anyone else.  It looks like I will have to raise the money to go to Pueblo and wait for Garrett to show up at his job, or find him where ever he lives.  Please keep praying that Garrett will make contact with us soon.

Ken

UPDATE: 17 FEB 2007

After mailing a letter in early February to law enforcement in Colorado, elected officials and Denver newspapers, I have heard back from several law enforcement agencies in Colorado.  Garrett has not been located yet, but they confimed him having been in Pueblo in August 2006.  I am praying that eithor Garrett will come into contact with an agency, or contact someone in his family on his own in the very near future.  Thank you for your prayers and support in helping to find Garrett.  God Bless you all.

I love you Garrett and only want you to be your own person.  Please let me and the rest of your family be a part of your life.

Dad/Grampa Ken


Dear family and friends,
I hope all is well with all of you in your parts of the world. After spending my usual sleepless night last night just wondering what more I could be doing to find my beloved cousin Garrett Paulson, whom has been missing/out of contact with his family and friends for the better part of two years, I decided to send out this letter in the hopes that maybe I'm just too naive and have not thought of something else there is to do. Garrett was living in Aurora Colorado the last time anyone heard from him, shortly after his brother Kevin's wedding. He did not pick up his last paycheck, nor has he paid his car insurance payments. He has not had contact with anyone at all. 
 
We have now seen two Christmas's come and go with no word from him. It is like him at times to not keep in contact, but never for this long and never over the holidays. I am so worried about him and I can not even imagine what his parents and siblings must feel. I believe the only thing left to do is to either A. go to Colorado and begin a search or B. hire a private detective. While I'd love nothing more than to go to Colorado and search for him myself, I have a family and life here to think about, as do all of us. So the only thing I can see left to do is hire someone to find him. I believe that this can be accomplished, and I am asking that anyone who can help us out with this, whether through prayers, resources, references, or financial assistance, will find it in their heart to lend us a hand. 
 
I have attached a photo of Garrett that I have been posting in various places. If you could send this photo out to others, and ask them to send it, and so on, that would be a great help as well. Also, please forward this on to anyone that is not on my list. 
 
I know this family can come together to accomplish amazing things. Garrett is lost for now, but he needs to be found and found by us. He deserves to be safe and feel our support no matter what has kept him from us these last few years. Ken (his Dad) has set up a bank account for this purpose.
 
Many regards to all,
Much love and happiness,
Lori

Garrett

grampa-ken

UPDATE 6 MAY 2007 2 MAY 2007 This letter really starts back in O ...

Updated: Oct 13, 2007 8:09am PST

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