Family of missing man Mike Limur still searching for him five years later

Mike Limur was last seen at White Market in Dededo five years ago.

A security guard told Limur’s family he saw Limur at the store, which is in the same building where Limur usually went to do laundry. He said he remembers seeing Limur, but doesn’t know where he went after that.

Peter Gaamow, Limur’s older brother, has spent the past five years retracing his brother’s steps based on information from family, Limur’s roommate and police. He and his family are hoping someone might remember something or might have seen Limur since he went missing in May 2015. 

“Hopefully, somebody remembers something and help. Just to find him,” Gaamow said.

After the Pacific Daily News contacted Guam Police Department in mid-May about Limur's case, Gaamow said police called him and asked if he had any new information. They told Gaamow the case is still open.

As of Saturday, the GPD hasn’t responded to the newspaper’s questions about what police believe happened to Limur or questions about missing person cases on Guam. Spokesman Sgt. Paul Tapao said the case is active and police are investigating.

Tapao said on Friday detectives reached out to the Federated States of Micronesia police and are awaiting their response.

Little else has been released by authorities about Limur’s disappearance, other than the missing person news release disseminated June 4, 2015. Police checked Guam Memorial Hospital, Department of Corrections and the detention facility at that time. He wasn’t there.

Limur was 51 years when he went missing. He drove a 2012 gray Toyota Scion. Police said then that he was about 5 foot 7 inches tall, weighed about 170 pounds with brown eyes, black hair and a dark complexion. He was last seen wearing a yellow CalPac uniform.

Last time seen

Gaamow pieced together the events of May 29 and May 30, the last two days his brother was last seen.

He said the night of May 29, Limur had an encounter with police. Limur was parked by Shell gas station at NCS, near the main road. He was drunk and asleep in his car. Police were called. Gaamow said officers told him the property owner called police because Limur’s car was blocking the property owner’s driveway.

Police drove Limur to his home near UR Market in Dededo and Limur’s car was towed.

“I asked them, ‘Why you guys tow the car?’ And police said the landlord of that house next to NCS gas station, he’s the one that called the towing,” Gaamow said.

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When Gaamow later went back to the house, he asked a woman there if they called the tow truck and she told him that police called the tow truck.

Limur’s roommate recalled coming home around 10 or 11 p.m. that night and seeing Limur sleeping outside on a bench, after police dropped Limur home, according to Gaamow.

The roommate didn’t wake him. When the roommate woke up the next day on May 30, Limur wasn’t there.

Limur’s roommate told Gaamow Limur didn’t come home that day and didn’t call, so he called Limur’s cousins asking for Limur. But Limur wasn’t with them.

“And that’s when they called me,” Gaamow said.

Reported missing

The last time someone reported seeing Limur was May 30, 2015 at White Market, Gaamow said. It was nighttime. It was the security guard who said he saw Limur there, Gaamow said. 

Gaamow said he called police on May 31, 2015.

“So, we reported it and then went ahead and look. Because (police) told us, ‘Maybe you can ask family and look around where he usually hangs out and see if he’s there,’” Gaamow said.  

Gaamow also said his aunt recalled Limur calling her house on May 30 around 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. and Limur told her husband that he was at Alupang beach that day. But phone records don’t show a call at that time. Limur doesn’t have a cellphone so he would have used someone else’s phone, Gaamow said.

Search areas

Based on his aunt’s information, Gaamow said they searched Alupang for Limur. They combed the NCS area first, searching around Limur’s house, near Ironwood, near Ritidian, by White Market. They searched Hagåtña and Dededo, behind American Grocery.

“The Yap community here really helped the family search for him,” Gaamow said.

They posted flyers with Limur’s picture at the beaches, stores and along roads.  

Gaamow said Limur has three children living in the states. They came to Guam for some time after Limur went missing.

Gaamow said he believes Limur doesn’t have access to his passport because the probation office had it. 

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Gaamow said he hasn’t stopped looking for his brother.

“Mike is somewhere, still alive,” he said.

Mary Youtaman, Limur’s first cousin, said they don't believe there's a way for Limur to travel. They don’t think he had any reason to hide.

“Five years is a long time,” Youtaman said.

They previously contacted three different spiritual healers hoping they might offer some insight into Limur’s whereabouts. All three healers told them Limur is alive.

 “I don’t want to believe something happened to my brother,” Gaamow said.

 “I just want to find my brother. Whatever happened, it happened. We don’t punish people,” Gaamow said.

How to help

If anyone knows anything about Limur’s whereabouts, Gaamow urges them to contact GPD.

GPD phone numbers

• Dededo Precinct Command: 632-9808 or 632-9811
• Tumon/Tamuning Precinct Command: 649-6330
• Central Precinct Command: 475-8541
• Southern Precinct Command: 472-8915 or 6
• Guam Police Department's Dispatch: 472-8911
• Guam Crime Stoppers: 477-4357 or visit http://guam.crimestoppersweb.com

This article originally appeared on Pacific Daily News: Family of missing man Mike Limur still searching for him five years later