HOUSTON – The niece of a missing elderly man with a mental disability canvassed the area surrounding a bus station near downtown Houston Wednesday, where he was last seen.
Cecil Stewart, 72, was last seen Aug. 7.
Stewart’s niece, Cassandra Stewart, said she drove her uncle to the Greyhound bus terminal, located at 2121 S. Main in Midtown. He was scheduled to board a bus to Alexandria, Louisiana at 1:45 p.m. to stay with his son, Cassandra Stewart said.
“I walked him (into the bus station). The security guard stopped me before I could get to the back and said you can’t walk him back there. I got him. I’ll walk him,” Stewart said, recounting what she said a security guard at the bus station told her when she attempted to wait with her uncle until boarding.
“I handed my uncle the bus ticket and said take this here go straight to Alexandria. Do not get off the bus. It’s an 8-hour ride. He said, ‘Ok, I got it,‘” Stewart continued.
It’s unclear if Mr. Stewart boarded the bus. His family, along with Quanell X, community activist, believe he never left Houston. Moreover, conflicting stories worsen the confusion, accounts from staff at Greyhound with whom Cassandra Stewart and Quanell X say they spoke.
“One of the security men said we put him on the bus. The driver of the bus said he never saw him on the bus. The two stops that were made up to Alexandria, Louisiana, he never made it off the bus,” Quanell X said.
Another puzzler: Quanell X said Stewart’s ticket was voided in Lafayette, La., according to a conversation with Greyhound, although he stresses there’s no proof Stewart made it there or anywhere. He said there was no video surveillance in Louisiana or Houston.
“That’s why we believe whatever happened to him, happened right here in Houston and somebody took his ticket,” Quanell X said.
KPRC 2 reached out to Greyhound for comment on video surveillance or any information it may have about Stewart’s case but has not returned our message as of Wednesday.
Sharonda Davis spoke to Cassandra Stewart and Quanell X as they handed out missing person’s fliers outside the bus station. Davis recalled seeing Cecil Stewart at the bus station.
“Matter of fact, he walked across the street and sat on the ground because they didn’t want to let him in Greyhound,” Davis said.
Cassandra Stewart wanted to make sure her uncle boarded the bus, but instead, she said she and her family are left to search for his whereabouts, while hoping he’s well.
“I just want him to know he’s loved,” she said.
The Houston Police Department is investigating Cecil Stewart’s disappearance. Anyone with information is asked to call 832-394-1840.