http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/loc...61113vigil.htmlMissing man's mother continues her quest for clues
By DAVID HENCH, Staff Writer
Monday, November 13, 2006
"It's killing me. I miss him and I want him home," said Gonzalez, who has come to Maine a half-dozen times since her son disappeared Sept. 3. Often she hands out fliers in front of Platinum Plus on Riverside Street, though she's also gone as far north as Lewiston. The leaflets show her son's face and give a printed description and telephone number.
"My expectations are that someone knows something within the club and that they will speak," said Gonzalez, who plans to be back in Maine this weekend. "I just want something, if they know anything, to please call police, even if they want to be anonymous, say something."
On Sept. 2, Miguel Oliveras of Boston was visiting his ex-girlfriend where she worked at Platinum Plus on Riverside Street, and friends and family members haven't heard from him since. Although they were no longer dating, Oliveras and the woman were friends and she sent him the money for bus fare to come to Portland, police said. However, the night he disappeared, the woman had asked staff at the club to make him leave because he was discouraging men from tipping her, police said.
Oliveras left without incident and was last seen in the parking lot at 1 a.m. with an unidentified white male, police said. The management at Platinum Plus declined to comment on the case.
Police have little else to go on.
"There have been no new developments," said Lt. Vern Malloch, head of detectives for Portland police. "It's still an open and active investigation."
The concern for Oliveras remains because he has not made contact with his family and has no money, no car and no cell phone, Malloch said.
His mother said his disappearance has been torture, particularly since she knows he would contact her if he could.
"This kid lives with me. He does not go two or three days without calling me," she said. Gonzalez said there have been times she was too distraught to work, and she worries for her other son, who is 13.
"He's starting to break down because he knows his brother would not do this," she said.
Her fear is that something terrible has happened, that he has been killed. "That's something that goes through my mind now every day, and I try to get those thoughts out, but I do feel someone hurt my son," she said.
It is disheartening to Gonzalez that the last time someone reportedly disappeared from Platinum Plus, in February, it turned out they were murdered. However, in that case the person reporting the disappearance was ultimately charged with killing the victim, a one-time friend, somewhere else.
Police ask that anyone with information about Oliveras' disappearance call 874-8596.
Staff Writer David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:
dhench@pressherald.com