Still no sign of missing man

MONROE — Police are still looking for an elderly man who disappeared from a School House Road nursing center several weeks ago.

Erast Botschagow, 80, who had previously resided in Sayreville, was last seen at the Gibbons Nursing Center about 6 p.m. May 30, police said. Staff at the residence reported him missing the following day, police said.

A search by a helicopter and canine team failed to find any trace of Botschagow, Detective Sgt. Lawrence Linke said.

"We have no clue as to where this man may be," Linke said. "There is a vast wooded area in the vicinity of the nursing center. We have gotten a couple of phone calls about an elderly man in the area who asked for a dollar, but we have been unable to link any of these to Botschagow."

Both police and Richard Gibbons, the operator of Gibbons Nursing Center, have speculated that Botschagow may have tried to find his way back to Sayreville, although they acknowledged they do not know which direction he may have gone when he left the nursing center.

This marks the second time Botschagow left the center without telling anyone, Gibbons said. Botschagow, who had been a resident at the center little more than a month, left about two weeks earlier, not long after he moved in, Gibbons said.

That time, Botschagow was found on Mounts Mills Road, Linke said.

There are no physical restraints on the 40 male residents in the center, whose ages range from 30 to 90, Gibbons said.

"The guys here can come and go pretty much as they please," Gibbons said. "However, this man was no wanderer. He ran away deliberately. He knew what he was doing."

Botschagow, who came to the United States from Yugoslavia, was not taking any medication and seemed to have all of his senses, Gibbons said.

Botschagow’s wife, Inna, said that she believes that her husband may be some place in the vast wooded area around Sayreville — if he is still alive.

His wife said the missing man migrated from Yugoslavia to this country 30 years ago in 1973.

Before he retired, she said, her husband did plumbing work.

As of yesterday, police said they had no clues as to where Botschagow may be. Meanwhile, authorities are continuing their search.

"God only knows where he is," Gibbons said. "There is a lot of open country around here."

Anyone with information on Botschagow’s whereabouts is urged to call the Monroe Township Police Department at (732) 521-0223.

— Dick Metzgar