Six members of Haiti’s Special Olympics delegation have mysteriously gone missing, leaving investigators frantically searching for answers.
The group, consisting of one Special Olympics athlete, one coach, and four Unified partners, has not been seen or heard from since exiting their Kissimmee hotel around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, June 6th. At the time, they turned in their room keys but oddly left behind all of their personal belongings. It is unclear if they took cellular phones with them and if they have been tracked.
The missing men have been identified as 32-year-old Atione Joseph Mithon, 20-year-old Nicholson Fontilus, 19-year-old Peter Mianovich Berlus, 18-year-old Anderson Petit-Frere, 24-year-old Steevenson Jacquet, and 18-year-old Oriol Jean.
The organization says it is deeply concerned about the well-being of the men. However, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office does not believe that the men are in danger.
“We believe this is an isolated event and do not suspect foul play,” the sheriff’s office stated in a Facebook post, which quickly drew criticism.
The Special Olympics USA Games kicked off on June 5th and will run through June 12th at ESPN’s World Wide of Sports Complex. The event attracts nearly 5,500 athletes and coaches from all states and the Caribbean. The men were visiting the United States for a soccer competition in the Olympics.
The sheriff’s office is investigating each man’s disappearance as a missing person’s case and has launched a search. Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is urged to call the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office immediately.
