While a few in the air race community have heard of the unfolding events, Mike’s death is now public knowledge. Mike was a key member of the team, having worked on many of the systems for PM over the years. If you’ve ever been in the pits, you’ve seen him tirelessly working away. He was a somewhat quiet person, with a great sense of humor and an undying sense of love and duty towards his two children.
To make the story short, Mike didn’t show up to work for three days at Disney and was laid off. He seemingly dropped off the map, and over a long period of time none of his co-workers, family or friends were able to make contact with him. He only answered text messages for a while, often with replies far out of character for him. No transactions were made on any of his bank accounts, and all his on-line activity stopped. As family and friends sought each other out, a childhood friend asked the local police to file a missing person’s report. The sheriff’s department searched his property and found his remains buried beneath a hastily poured concrete “Fire Pit”. Perhaps the best on-line story is the Daily Mail one at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5488619/. It has become a national story as it unfolded, and the main suspect is his long time abusive wife. The local LE is working to complete a case and has shared nothing with the public yet.
The circumstances around his death overshadow the memory of a great guy who loved his children above all else. He was always in the thick of things turning wrenches, sweating and fighting to keep PM alive. A hard worker, he gave so much to the team and will be missed in the future for sure. His sense of humor was intelligent and understated...but always funny. He was not unknown to tie wrap an exhausted team member into the chair they were sleeping in after many hours work to keep PM in the air. His family, co-workers, friend and team mates have connected and together remember him and hope for justice in his death.
Blue Skies Mike, you are missed!
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