Search continues for missing man

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Andre Barker
Andre Barker

NAUGATUCK — Naugatuck police continue to search for a 30-year-old man who has been missing since July 24.

Andrew Barker of Thomaston was last seen in Naugatuck, where he had been staying with his girlfriend’s family, between noon and 1 p.m. that day. He left a Union City home and said he was headed to the Naugatuck downtown area to try to find a job. He never returned and hasn’t been heard from since.

Friends say they have no reason to believe Barker would skip town or harm himself or others. They remain flabbergasted over his disappearance.

Fliers showing his picture and a brief description of him are pinned up all over the borough and in Thomaston. Naugatuck police have put the poster out to the media and have blasted it out on their social media sites. A couple of people replied saying they think they may have seen him, but those claims have not yielded any results, police said.

“Every single lead we’ve had has come up with something we can’t substantiate,” said Lt. Bryan Cammarata, Naugatuck police spokesman. “There are indications that this guy might have left town and gone somewhere, but you don’t know what he actually did.”

He said detectives are assigned to the case and have been following up on leads daily. He encourages people who may have information to contact police directly. He said at this point, there are no indications of foul play.

Barker’s friend, Jessica Rogers, said walking away isn’t like Barker. She said he left Rogers’ mother’s house off Bridge Street and walked toward the Big Y plaza on Bridge Street on July 24. He has not been called, reached out on his Facebook page or made any attempt to contact friends or family locally.

All he had on him when he went out was a wallet with nothing but a state identification card, Rogers said.

“It’s completely heartbreaking,” said Rogers, whose sister, Ericka Jane-Laree Rogers, dates Barker.

Jessica Rogers said that Barker, who had worked in landscaping, construction and painting, was upset recently because he was out of a job. He did not show any indications of suicide, she said.

Police describe Barker as white, 6 feet, 3 inches tall, weighing about 160 pounds with a medium build. They said he has dark brown hair and was last seen with a scruffy beard and a tattoo with music symbols on his right arm.

He was last seen wearing a black Led Zeppelin T-shirt with red and white lettering and khaki pants. He has been known to wear prescription glasses.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Naugatuck Police Department at (203) 729-5222.