Friends, family, and coworkers have been freaking out the past several days about the mysterious disappearance of 36-year-old Jeffrey Pressley, also known as JP, who worked as a barback at The Cat Club in SoMa and who has not been seen or heard from since the night of October 28. Pressley's sister Lauren Leisse writes on Facebook that he was last seen seeming "confused and disoriented" in the vicinity of the Cat Club, near Folsom and 9th Streets.
She adds, "He may have been injured and cannot walk or talk. If you see someone laying on the ground, which, as all of us Bay area people know, happens many times a day, just take an extra close look to make sure it isn't my brother please."
His roommate says he has not been home since that night, and no one else has heard from him.
Another friend insists, "This is UNLIKE him. He doesn't just disappear. And he's one of the most responsible people I know."
He was born Jeffrey Thompson, and has been in the Bay Area over a year, working at the Cat Club. He performs as a fire-dancer and fire-breather, and worked previously at Berlin nightclub in Chicago, and elsewhere.
Friends are asking that anyone who has seen Pressley, or saw him that night, contact Officer Chou of the SFPD at 415.671.2300, and reference case number 140929249.
I don't want to draw any unnecessary connections here, but this story is reminding me of the strange, equally disturbing disappearance of Brazilian tourist Paolo Netto, a young man who had come to San Francisco to visit last October. Creepily, he also disappeared on October 28 (2013), right after making a frantic phone call to his sister in which he sounded apparently disoriented and very scared. Netto's body was later found in the Bay. Hopefully this is just a deeply chilling coincidence.
Update: Pressley posted a vague message on Monday evening around 9 p.m. confirming he was alive.
In response to other posts, he wrote, "It's really me. And I love you guys." and "I'm crying at the bus station in front of a crowd of people. Lol."
Later, he posted a lengthy explanation for his disappearance, which involved thoughts of suicide. But he's okay now, and he's seeking therapy.