Help "Missing Family" Rebuild After Media Storm

Many friends, family members and kind strangers have reached out and asked how they can help - I didn't know until recently what was needed. Now that I know more - I can share…so bear with me over the long post. I hope it answers all of the questions and squashes any rumors.

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I’m Suzi, the wife of the “missing Michigan family” from the recent headlines. First, to those that reached out in concern and care, we say "Thank You." We are truly overwhelmed by the interest, compassion and care that our story has generated.

Let me address the elephant in the room. We never intended for any of this. I am not going to discuss why we felt we were in danger - but we did (it was not related to 9/11). There were some unusual sequences of events that led us to believe we were in danger. I wasn’t forced to go. It was a mutual decision, and we intentionally left our phones at home. My mom refused to come, and being on the road would have been too hard for her. Since we knew my mother-in-law was coming over to the house that day - we were confident my mom and the cats were in good hands. However, when my mother-in-law came by, she saw the van was gone without going inside the house. The van is the vehicle we take when all five of us go out. Unfortunately, my mother-in-law assumed we all had left since the van was gone.

We are a quiet and reserved family, but since so much misinformation has been put out by the police / press…..I feel the need to share some positive truths. Anthony, my beloved husband of almost thirty years, is my soulmate and best friend. He is a kind, gentle soul that would help anyone. He completed high school in two years and went to college at age 16. He has a master's degree in IT and worked for the government court system for almost twenty years before going into the private sector. My husband has always been an outstanding provider for our family. He has taken on so much over the years and never once complained. Anthony helped care for my dad (his father-in-law) when he was dying of brain cancer. When his father unexpectedly passed away at a young age, he moved his mother and younger brother into our home and built them a separate addition to our previous house. He became a 2nd father to his then 15-year-old brother. Anthony supported me through my medical problems, heart issues resulting in my getting a pacemaker and breast cancer. He is a patient and proud father of our two sons, who have autism. Anthony always puts others first. He never stopped to process any of the grief or take care of himself. I know this hits home for the those that take on everything for their family. However, it catches up as you can only take so much stress, pressure and grief.

So here we are. The aftermath of the media attention is just like you would imagine…a fragile family trying to pick up the pieces after a tornado ripped through our lives. The media doesn’t think about how people will return to their lives. They just want a story. Our family is saddened and outraged at the labels people speculated about Anthony. This playing out for the world may have ruined any chances of him working for anyone. How can he ever get a job now? Employers Google potential hires. It felt like the sensationalism of the story took on its own life and outweighed the empathy and care for the true story….what happens after the headline?

We are taking it one day at a time. The good news is we are back and getting medical care. Through all this adversity - the unconditional love we have for each other has never wavered, and we stay committed to the care of our sweet boys. Our family has been amazing through this and we feel blessed and eternally grateful to have such a support system.

Caring for my sons and mother full-time keeps me from working outside the home. Both boys might be eligible to receive social security disability, but they are not receiving it now. I am starting this to take off some of the stress from my husband. He is a proud man that would never ask for anything - so I want to surprise him. We are holding onto the belief this is only a speedbump in his successful career and life as a father, husband, son, and brother. Anything you feel impressed to donate will be most appreciated! You don’t need to "give" to help - please share this link, and keep our family in your prayers that something good will come out of this situation ..... that would truly mean everything to us.

Thank you is not enough for the care, empathy, and genuine concern that you have shown. You have forever touched our hearts. May God bless you!

Forever Grateful,

Suzi and Boys

PS To the media, we ask for privacy as we continue to move forward. We will not be doing any interviews or making statements. If you would like to help - please share this link and something positive about our family along with it.