Online Crusade to Find Missing N.C. Man

Nov. 15, 2007— -- Kyle Fleischmann's mother is about to undergo cancer surgery.

That alone is enough evidence for Richard Fleischmann to conclude that his 24-year-old son, last seen a week ago at a Charlotte, N.C., bar, is the victim of foul play.

"He didn't run away when his mother's going into surgery," Richard Fleischmann told ABC News.

Since his disappearance, more than 26,000 Facebook users have joined a group devoted to searching for Fleischmann, a graduate of Elon University who lives and works in Charlotte as a health care recruiter. There is also a Web site devoted to finding Fleischmann, www.helpfindkyle.com.

The site is being managed by Daniel Scagnelli, who described himself as Fleischmann's best friend and was with him at the Buckhead Saloon the night Fleischmann disappeared.

Scagnelli is also involved in the search, which a private investigator is leading. While the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department took the initial missing person report a week ago, Fleischmann is an adult and there is so far no evidence of a crime. Both factors make the case less of a police priority.

Fleischmann went with a group of friends last Thursday night to see comedian Dane Cook perform. Afterward, the group went to the local bar. As they split up, with some friends heading home, Scagnelli said Fleischmann stuck around, chatting with a group of girls with whom he had a mutual friend.

The girls left Fleischmann, Scagnelli said, and the bar's surveillance camera caught him leaving alone at 2:20 a.m. Fleischmann left his debit card and his jacket. Scagnelli said that his friend was likely a bit drunk, but not "blackout" drunk.

At 2:19 a.m., Fleischmann called his sister but did not leave a message, according to phone records.

At 3:28 a.m., Fleischmann called Scagnelli, but did not leave a message. At 3:29 a.m., he called his roommate, Bruce Mottern, and again, did not leave a message.

Fleischmann's whereabouts from 2:20 a.m., when he left the bar, until 3:29 a.m. remains unknown.

Fleischmann, who lives about 3 miles from the bar, had left the bar on foot. His car was parked at Scagnelli's house, where the group had gathered for a while before heading out to catch the Dane Cook performance.

Scagnelli said that Fleischmann, the best man at his wedding this summer, had neither a girlfriend nor enemies that he knew about. Tuesday, a ground search began at the bar and spread out around the area. Dogs have been brought in in the hope of picking up Fleischmann's scent.

While the Facebook group has generated intense interest in the case, Scagnelli said he's also had to do rumor control as users theorize about what may have happened to Fleischmann.

Richard Fleischmann said he could not help but theorize. One thought he said that crossed his mind was a possible connection between his son's disappearance and Ben Stanford, a 17-year-old Alabama teen who recently went missing and whose body was discovered Tuesday in Gwinnett County, Ga., just a four-hour drive away from Charlotte.

In that case, Stanford, who shared a similar physical appearance and build, had been last seen at a local bar. "I guess I'm just trying to reach for something," the father said.

Officials, however, announced late Wednesday that Stanford died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Richard Fleischmann visited his son's office in Charlotte Friday. On his son's desk was a list of things to do that day -- more evidence that Kyle Fleischmann didn't just run away.