IAN BURNET - 22 yo - New York City NY

Ian Burnet is described as a white male, 5’8”, 131 lbs., with green eyes and curly dark brown hair.

Monday, Jan 9, 2012 | Updated 1:29 PM EST


Handout
Ian Burnet was last seen at the apartment he was renting out in Manhattan.

A Virginia couple is asking for the public's help in finding their 22-year-old son, who
traveled to the Big Apple to spend the New Year's week with friends and
vanished from the Manhattan apartment they were renting for the week.

Ian Burnet left his Richmond, Va., home on Dec. 26 and took a bus to New York City, authorities said.

He last texted his parents on Dec. 27 and police say his last known contact was another text with a
friend on Dec. 30. Burnet was last seen at the apartment where he had been staying on Riverside Drive.

Burnet's family says the boy has no history of drug or alcohol abuse and comes from a loving
home. The engineering student is scheduled to graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2013.

Burnet is described as a white male, 5’8”, 131 lbs., with green eyes and curly dark brown hair. There is a Facebook page dedicated to helping find him.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact either NYPD Detective Sanchez,
Detective Davis or Sgt. Greene, at the 30th Precinct (451 W. 151st St.)212-690-8842.
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Missing-Boy-Student-22-Parents-Virginia-New-York-City-136950343.html

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  This photo, provided by family members, shows 22-year-old Ian Burnet, right.
  

A Virginia college student missing for
almost two weeks in New York City had previously attempted suicide at
least three times, law enforcement sources reportedly said.

Ian Burnet, a 22-year-old student on full
scholarship at Virginia Commonwealth University, was last heard from on
Dec. 30 while touring Manhattan.

Authorities said Wednesday that Burnet, an
engineering student and high school valedictorian, had tried to commit
suicide in the past -- a claim his family says is not true, WPIX-TV
reports. Police sources reportedly said that one of those attempts
involved drinking alcohol and taking prescription drug pills.


But the man's father, Mark Burnet, said in an interview with FoxNews.com that his son had no history of drug or alcohol abuse.

"This is not something we'd expect from Ian,
to just drop off the map," Mark Burnet said by phone Wednesday from his
home in Richmond, Va. "We’re mystified."

Burnet said he last heard from his son when
he received a text message from him on Dec. 28. His son left his
Richmond home for New York City on Dec. 26 and was staying with friends
in a subletted apartment on 139th St. and Riverside Drive.

He said his son also sent a text message to
his female college roommate on Dec. 30 at around 4 p.m., mentioning
sites he had visited in the city -- including Central Park -- and
discussing plans upon his return to school. That was the last known
communication from Ian, his father said.

There has been no activity on Burnet's
credit card or bank accounts since his disappearance, according to his
father. His cellphone was left at the apartment -- which his father
noted was typical of Ian, an Eagle Scout, who he said enjoys running and
walking through parks.

On Wednesday, police said Burnet's metrocard
shows he entered a northbound No. 1 train at the 145th Street station
on the day he disappeared, according to WPIX-TV.

Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said in an
email to FoxNews.com that the New York City Police Department is working
with authorities in Virginia to locate Burnet.

"Friends said he stayed with them in an
apartment on 139th St in Manhattan where they said they last saw him Dec
30, and where he left behind his personal belongings, including his
cell phone," Browne said.

Burnet's father said hundreds of volunteers
from New York and New Jersey have so far assisted in the search,
distributing fliers with his son's photograph. The young man's family
has established a website, www.FindIanBurnet.com, devoted to the search for him. A Facebook page for him has also been created with more than 1,700 members.

Ian Burnet is described as 5-foot-8 and
weighing 131 pounds. He has green eyes and curly dark brown hair. Anyone
with information on his disappearance is being urged to call the New
York City Police Department at 212-690-8811.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/01/12/virginia-college-student-missing-in-nyc-had-reportedly-attempted-suicide-in/#ixzz1jInWiGLJ