‘Hope he comes home soon.’ Norwalk family searches for missing 72-year-old man

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Earl Sebastian, of Norwalk, should be enjoying retirement. Instead, the 72-year-old’s face is on missing person flyers his family has put up around the city. “We've been calling the hospitals constantly. We've been going around searching the streets. We've called shelters. We got the police department involved,” said Makayla Goethe, Sebastian’s granddaughter. Norwalk police said Sebastian was last seen Monday evening at his home on Grandview Avenue, where he’s lived with his daughter and granddaughter for over 20 years. Both told News 12 everything was normal before his disappearance. “Tuesday morning, I went downstairs to check on him before I went to work, and he wasn't there,” Goethe recalled, adding she assumed her grandfather had gone to the corner store down the street. Goethe went to work and didn’t think twice about it until a text that afternoon from her mom. It said Sebastian still hadn’t returned. “I kind of started freaking out a little bit because he never like stays out too late, and he always comes back home,” Goethe told News 12. Goethe said Sebastian is healthy and doesn't suffer from dementia. He’d recently retired from his long-time job at a local printing services company, according to family. “We're hanging in there, at least trying to,” stated Goethe. Police said Sebastian normally takes the bus to get around, and he doesn’t have a cellphone or credit cards. Family told News 12 he left only with his wallet. “Every time we went out somewhere that he wanted to go, he had his bookbag and his laptop, so he was planning on coming back because he left it here,” said Goethe. Goethe described her grandfather as very sweet, a big food guy, and a people person. “We hope that he comes home soon,” Goethe stated. Police said Sebastian is described as being 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs about 180 pounds. They say he’s not considered a danger to himself or to others. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Lindsey at Ltaylor@norwalkct.gov or 203-854-3183. "