HOMESTEAD, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida family is afraid for a loved one’s safety after he went missing in North Carolina hours before Florence’s arrival.
Twenty-one-year-old Carlos Alfonso Jr. went missing in North Carolina, according to his family. He grew up in South Florida before he moved to North Carolina with his parents a couple of years ago.
“He missed storm curfew. That’s about all we know,” said Alfonso’s cousin Michelle.
His family said they’re extremely worried about him after he disappeared the day before Florence made landfall.
“His mom, his dad, sister — no one has heard from him since,” Michelle said.
Alfonso lives in the Wilmington area, which was hit badly by the hurricane.
“We don’t know if he got caught outside somewhere in the storm,” Michelle said, “but other than that, he was expected back home. He’s never, ever been gone.”
She said on Thursday that Alfonso left with his neighbor. However, an hour later, the neighbor returned without Alfonso.
The neighbor told Alfonso’s parents that he met up with someone else.
When the storm hit and the mandatory curfew was in effect, Alfonso still did not return home, his family said.
As of late Saturday night, Alfonso remains missing.
After Florence left destruction behind, Alfonso’s family continues to search for him. “His parents are searching. They’re searching wooded areas,” Michelle said. “They just have nothing to go on.”
With each passing hour, the concern that Alfonso was caught up in the storm grows.
His family hopes that he’ll turn up soon. “His mom and his dad are just destroyed,” Michelle said. “People need to understand, if they can help, this is a tight-knit family. They need their son home.”
The family is hoping part of the reason they haven’t heard from Alfonso is because of power outages and the lack of cellphone signal after the storm. However, they still say he should have contacted him by now.
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