CDC Researcher Calls Sister, Then Vanishes

Two weeks ago, an official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spoke to his sister on the phone. And then he went missing.

According to news reports, Cmdr. Timothy Cunningham (age 35) of the U.S. Public Health Service (which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), was last seen on Feb. 12, the day he spoke to his sister, Tiara Cunningham.

She told The New York Times that during that phone call, her brother "sounded not like himself." Later that day, when she and her mother tried to contact him, they got no response.

Timothy Cunningham's father, Terrell Cunningham, said that his son's supervisor said the younger Cunningham reported for work on Feb. 12, but left midday because he wasn't feeling well, according to the Times.

Two days later, Timothy Cunningham's family arrived at his Atlanta home, letting themselves in with a spare key. They found his wallet, cellphone, keys, driver's license and passport. His car was in the garage, and his dog, Mr. Bojangles, was left unattended, the Times reported.

The Atlanta Police Department told The Washington Post yesterday (Feb. 25) that it had yet to find Timothy Cunningham and was depending on the public for leads.

At the CDC, Timothy Cunningham works as an epidemiologist studying disease patterns, including outbreaks of the Zika and Ebola viruses, according to the Post.

Originally published on Live Science.