When
I returned to work in Ottawa, I found considerable comfort in the support of my
co-workers. One colleague worked in media relations, and he suggested that I
put out a news release with the information about the disappearance, with the
hopes that the story would get widely spread and reach someone who might know
something helpful about Terry. With the help of my brother Ron, assistance from Carmen Marson-Awad of Canada Newswire, and with the
approval of Terry’s daughter Ajineen, I sent the following release to a number
of newspapers. A few of the western papers published it.
December 28,
2001:
Regina actor disappears just days before Christmas
On the morning of
Tuesday, December 18th, Terry Sagal was making soup in his kitchen. Terry, among
other things, loved to cook. He planned to make a birthday cake for a friend a
little later, but needed a few ingredients. He made a note to pick up a bottle
of Scotch as well. He said goodbye to his wife Susan and drove away in her 1984
Mercury Marquis with $50 in his wallet. That was the last time that Susan saw
her husband.
Terry Sagal is a 54
year-old artisan, musician and actor. He has appeared in and directed numerous
stage productions with the Regina Little Theatre and his pottery is carried in
local shops. His rich baritone voice has been heard often on the radio. His 26-year-old
daughter, Ajineen Sagal, is an actress living in Vancouver.
Susan’s blue Mercury
Marquis was found by a local farmer on a municipal road near the village of
Kennedy, about 160 kilometers south-east of Regina where Terry and Susan live.
The farmer had noticed it there on the Thursday, December 18th but waited until
the 20th to contact the local RCMP detachment.
According to the police,
the vehicle provided no immediate evidence of foul play and it still had a quarter
of a tank of gas and the radio station was set to a country music channel. The
family noted that “Terry doesn't like country music; he only listens to CBC.” Three
of the car doors were locked. There is one door on the Marquis that doesn't
lock automatically. That door was still unlocked, which was unusual. Terry
always locked all the doors.
Saskatchewan nights
have been very cold since the abandoned Marquis was found near Kennedy, and the
family is afraid for his health and safety. In a desperate bid to find Terry,
family members reported Terry's disappearance to the local media. It was now
December 22nd. Susan had already searched areas around the city, visiting
places Terry had gone before, but she discovered nothing. Terry has not been
seen by anyone.
On Sunday, December
23rd, the RCMP started their search around Kennedy. That same day, family
members drove to Kennedy to determine what they could do to help. By that time,
Terry had been missing for five nights.
On December 24th, Christmas
Eve, the sixth night of Terry’s disappearance, the Regina Police started
searching vacated homes and warehouses in the city. Family members met with the
staff sergeant to determine what they could do to help.
Family members [Loretta
and Darrel] spent their Christmas Eve
distributing "Missing" posters. Terry liked to shop along South Albert,
so most of the posters were given to businesses in that area. Posters were also
left at the Salvation Army's Waterston Centre, the Souls Harbour Food Bank, the
Regina Rescue Mission, the YMCA, the General Hospital, the Superstore, and the
airport as well as various locations in the village of Kennedy. So far, no one
has called. Terry has been gone for ten days and there has been no word or
contact.
The family is hoping
that someone, somewhere, might have seen something that would provide some clue
as to Terry's whereabouts. They are desperate for any information concerning
his disappearance. They ask that the people near Kennedy check their barns and
fields for any signs of Terry.
Terry currently sports
a graying moustache and beard. He is 5'9", weighs about 200 pounds, and
has rich brown eyes. He was wearing jeans and a black leather jacket when he
left to go shopping on December 18th.
Anyone with information
concerning Terry Sagal's disappearance should contact the Regina police at
306-777-6500.
~
~ ~ ~ ~
On
January 3, I received a call from the Calgary Herald in Alberta. They were
interested in running the story about Terry and even planned to call a cousin
and a close friend of his in Calgary for interviews to give the news a “local”
flavor. They also wanted to interview Terry’s daughter but she wasn’t ready to
talk about it that soon. They called the Regina Police and the Kipling RCMP [the
closest office to Kennedy] for verification of facts. It was good to know that
the news about Terry’s disappearance was getting coverage.
