Facebook/Louis Germosen
Louis Germosen has been found alive a little under a month after he went missing on Long Island. Germosen first went missing on June 28 after leaving his home in New Cassel. He was found on July 20 in Manhattan by his father and stepmother. Authorities believed that Germosen was heading to Roosevelt Street in West Hempstead when he was last seen. Police have not said what happened to Germosen during the period he was missing. Germosen’s father feared that his son had been kidnapped and murdered by MS-13.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Germosen’s Step Mother Said She Found Him in New York City After Receiving a Tip
Facebook/Suzy BayerGermosen’s stepmother posted this photo to Facebook just after the teenager had been found.
Germosen’s stepmother, Suzy Bayer, wrote on Facebook that she and her husband, Germosen’s father, Luis, had found the teenager in New York City after receiving a tip. Bayer said in her Facebook post, “After a awesome tip, and hours driving around NYC… Luis and I have Louis. God is good, Louis is alive and ok. Thank you to everyone, for your help and prays and tank you to the young lady that spotted him, and kept him with her till we found them… You hope for the best, you know what I mean? You hope for the best, but this has been going on so long, you just want it to end…We just want to know so we can have peace of mind, bring him home. Whether it’s good or bad, we just want to bring him back home to his mother and his father.”
2. A Mysterious Text Message Told Germosen’s Family to Search a Lake for His Body
ABC New York reported on July 9 that Germosen’s cousin had received an odd message that told his family to search Hempstead Lake Park for the missing teenager. The New York Post reported that the text message ended with the words, “Good luck God bless.” The Post said that one message told Germosen’s family to “Check Schodack Pond, Hempstead, NY.” Another message made reference to an address in Christopher Court, Hempstead. A follow-up message read, “Check both but… Check pond thoroughly.” On July 13, News 12 Long Island reported that the search of the lake had been suspended but authorities said the search was still on for Germosen. Detectives did not say why the search had been halted. A Go Fund Me page was set up by Germosen’s family to aid his family in their search. At the time Germosen was found, the page has raised $3,200 of a $50,000 goal.
3. Germosen Cell Phone Was Found in Manhattan Earlier in July 2018
Suzy Bayer told the ABC affiliate, “Keep it coming. Anything I can follow and just give it to police.” Germosen’s mother told the station, “I think somebody knows something, and they’re not saying it. I was getting mad. I was like, why is this kid not calling me or answering any texts? That’s when I started getting worried.” His father said, “I do have reason to believe he hung out with the wrong crowd.” During the time he was missing, Germosen’s family says he had been spotted once, with a friend. The New York Post reported on that Germosen’s cell phone had been found in Manhattan on July 6.
4. Germosen’s Father Said His Son Had Been ‘Hanging Out With the Wrong Crowd’
During the search of Hempstead Lake Park, Luis Germosen told Newsday, “I fear finding him. I don’t want to even think about it. I don’t want to find him dead.” Luis Germosen also told the New York Post earlier in July that he had heard that his son had been mixing with members of MS-13. He said, “I know he wasn’t in gangs but he could have had friends in gangs. He was probably hanging out with the wrong crowd lately.”
5. MS-13’s Presence in Long Island Has Significantly Increased in Recent Years
Reports that MS-13’s presence has been increasing in Suffolk County and Nassau Coutny have circulated since Donald Trump’s election in 2016. Speaking to the New York Post in December 2017, Nassau County Detective Sgt. Michael Marino said of MS-13, “They’re more organized, more sophisticated than you think… They have a very distinct structure, a very strong punishment scale for not following certain rules within their gang. The more I learn about MS-13, the more I felt like I underestimated their organization.”
