Justin Hayduk, a visiting University of Pittsburgh student, remains missing after 51 days. After a search that “stretched all resources” to find his son, Mike Hayduk said he is trying to hit every stone and turn it over.
“The whole community has been very helpful,” Mike said. “Everyone has been very warm and compassionate to us. There was always someone there to talk with us.”
Mike also complimented the Morgantown Police Department and said the police “pushed information to him” and called both Mike and Justin’s mother, Cheryl, directly with new updates.
“A case like this starts to get cold ... it’s still important,” Mike said. “I have to believe that someone has seen him.”
Last seen wearing a blue-green plaid long-sleeved shirt with a blue-gray vest overtop, Hayduk walked on foot and headed west away from a Yellow Cab taxi at 123 Pleasant St., a downtown Morgantown bar. Officials originally searched the Monongahela River for Hayduk, a three-year member of a YMCA swim team, after finding a hat they believed to be his in brush along the river.
Hayduk, now 19, is 5-feet-7-inches and weighs 140 lbs. A white male with short brown hair and brown eyes, Hayduk also has a medium complexion with a small scar under his chin.
According to Mike, who said he had a copy of the police report, Hayduk was seen at 123 Pleasant St., Shooter’s, another downtown bar and a fraternity party.
Sami Abulaban, Shooter’s owner, said that although he was at Shooter’s the evening of March 9, neither his employees or him saw Hayduk.
The owner of 123 Pleasant St., L.J. Giuliani, said that he was not at his establishment the night of Hayduk’s disappearance. Guiliani said one of his bartenders, Phil Spiker, told police that Hayduk was seen sleeping on a bench. Hayduk later refused to ride in the taxi called for him, but Guiliani is unsure why.
Hayduk’s parents contacted the television show “America’s Most Wanted,” but show officials said they could not help since Justin was an adult. The Hayduks are currently contacting television shows such as “Inside Edition” and “Montel.”
“I am not in a unique situation,” Mike said. “People are always missing. The unknowing is the hardest part.”
Mike said that the rest of his family is fine and waiting for Hayduk to return.
Any indiviudal with information regarding Justin Hayduk should call Morgantown Police at 304-284-7454.