Police have no strong leads on whereabouts of missing Athens man

The last reported sighting of missing man Matthew Arthur Chiu was on July 15 when he left Cornerstone Church in east Athens.

The 36-year-old man, described in an Athens-Clarke police report, as homeless, wandered off and to the consternation of his father and friends, he hasn’t been seen since.

Chiu was reported missing by his father on July 25, according to the report.

Athens-Clarke police detective Charles Burgamy said Wednesday that he recently received several tips from the public, which he said he appreciated but so far none have led to Chiu’s whereabouts. Chui has a cell phone, but the phone does not ring when called.

Chui, a white male, is 36 years old, is 5 foot, 7 inches tall, and weighs about 170 pounds. He has a King of Hearts tattoo on his left hand and a Queen of Hearts tattoo on his right hand. He has family in other states including Pennsylvania.

Chui's father, Leonard Chui, now resides in Tucson, Arizona. He said Wednesday by telephone that he formerly resided in Hull, but moved about two years ago. The father had earlier told police he received information from a man, described as a friend of the his son, who last saw Chui at the church located on Lexington Road.

There was a service and a dinner at the church that evening, the father said.

"He left and no one knows why," the elder Chui said.

The Chuis once lived in Pennsylvania and the father said he heard of a sighting there, but after contacting friends and officials it was determined to be unfounded.

The father also told police that his son had lost his apartment in Athens and was currently homeless. Leonard Chui said he last spoke to his son on June 28 and that his son was despondent over his life's situation.

There is only so much police can do at this point considering there is no evidence of foul play, according to the father.

"Matt is a grown adult. He's 36 and if he wants to remain missing that's his legal right. It's up to me and his friends to really find him," he said. "There is no hard concrete evidence for (police) to do anymore than what they are doing."

Matt Chui had previously worked as a maintenance electrician in Athens, where he formed several friendships, the father said.

"'A lot of those people have helped me look for him," Leonard Chui said, explaining he came to Athens for 14 days and conducted his own search, including going to all of the known homeless camps.

"I've hit everyone of them and he's not there. Even when I show them his picture, no one knows him," he said.

After the father made his report, police checked local hospitals and jail records, but he was not in any such locations.

The father said he may return to Athens to continue the search.

"I can't quit and I won't quit," he said. "You see these missing persons cases and you have no idea what the parent is going through."

Burgamy said he would still like to have the public’s assistance. He can be reached at 762-400-7173 or Charles.burgamy@accgov.com

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This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Police have no strong leads on whereabouts of missing Athens man