A vague note and his medication was all John Heath Noss left behind when he wandered from his Tuscarora Trail home Saturday morning.
Days later, Maitland police, family and friends continue searching for the 23-year-old man with Asperger’s syndrome who remains missing. Family members said he may be traveling toward Philadelphia, where he’s originally from.
But without a cell phone, credit card or social media accounts to track, investigators are having a tough time finding Noss.
“The modern conveniences that we all have, he doesn’t have them,” said Shannon Roeck, a family friend.
His mother Suzie Penn said police are sifting through computers and tablets Noss recently used to see which websites he searched and to find out if he contacted anyone.
“We’re hoping that we find something on the computer or the iPads to lead us to some kind of clue,” Penn said.
Noss, who has the mental capacity of a teenager, tends to become more confused when he doesn’t have his medication, Penn said.
According to the note Noss left behind, he contacted a friend up north but was not leaving from Orlando International Airport. Penn said none of their friends and family in Philadelphia have heard from Noss and she’s not sure he even knows how to get there.
Penn said Noss probably doesn’t have the means to get to Philadelphia. She estimates he has only about $100 and some Chick-fil-A gift cards.
Lt. Louis Grindle could not provide any updated information Thursday on the search efforts.
Noss is described as 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds. He has dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. By now, Noss probably has some facial hair, Penn said. He was last seen wearing a gold “Life is Good” T-shirt, black basketball shorts and black New Balance sneakers.
Penn and her husband, Terry Penn, adopted Noss seven years ago after his mother died. He has lived in Maitland ever since.
“I really feel like he didn’t really know how much we all cared,” said Roeck, who plans to organize a search on Saturday. “And that must be part of Asperger’s … maybe not being able to process all the emotions.”
Employees at Winter Park’s Stepping Stones Preschool, where Noss volunteered, have been passing out flyers to parents.
“John loved children,” said Sue Bohne, the preschool director. “He was phenomenal with the students.”
Noss organized games on the playground and is known as the friendly neighbor who loves to take the local children to the park.
Family and friends urge people to reach out to their churches and local homeless shelters and see if they find any leads.
“We just want him to come home,” Roeck said.
