The family has put up a $50,000 reward for information about what happened to Brougham.
Cindy L. Brown, front, and Carla M. Chaisson, sisters of Michael R. "Mickey" Brougham, tie a ribbon around a tree on the Belchertown Town Common to commemorate the first anniversary of their brother's disappearance from town.BELCHERTOWN – Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of Mickey Brougham, and his family is beseeching anyone with information about him to pass it on to authorities and to leave a porch light on tonight to keep awareness high.
“We have come to the place in our hearts where we believe he is no longer with us, so we are looking for any tip that would help us bring his body home, so we can give him the love and respect a family can give,” Brougham’s sister Cindy Brown said.
“The primary goal today is to bring him home,” Brown said. “That is aside from the angst that we feel and the anger we feel about how this happened. We just want to do the loving thing now.”
Michael R. “Mickey” Brougham, an excavation contractor, was 54 when he was last seen by relatives in Belchertown June 25, 2010.
His pickup truck and motorcycle were still at his house, as was medicine he needed to control his diabetes.
His wallet and cell phone were found two days later near the main gate of New Hampshire International Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., but police have said they do not know if he went to the NASCAR race there that weekend or left his home area.
Mickey BroughamThe family has put up a $50,000 reward for information about what happened to Brougham.
“We are looking for any piece of information that will help us find him,” Brown said.
People may provide information to the Belchertown police by calling (413) 323-6685 of the State Police Detective Unit at (413) 586-5150.
Belchertown Police Chief Francis R. Fox Jr. and Hampshire District Attorney David E. Sullivan said the investigation in the Brougham case is continuing.
“Investigators are treating the disappearance of Mickey Brougham as a criminal investigation, due to the unusual circumstances. Detectives have interviewed many people and followed multiple leads. We haven’t given up hope,” Sullivan said.
“People don’t just disappear. It just doesn’t add up that he took a vacation or left without telling anybody,” Sullivan said. “At this time, there are no suspects in the case.”
Photographs of Brougham as well as details of his life and efforts to find him are available at a Web site the family established, www.bringmickeyhome.com.
Searches have been conducted in and around Belchertown and in the area around the New Hampshire speedway.
Brown said that based on all of the information she has been presented with and her knowledge of her brother’s habits she believes it is likely that he never left the Belchertown area, and she is convinced that some people locally have some information about what happened to him last year.
She is asking for anyone with information, even if it seems like insignificant bits and pieces, to let the authorities know and to think about how they would feel if someone in their family were missing and has gone this long waiting for closure.
Brougham’s parents and his friends and family deserve some peace that could come with new information, Brown said.
An investigation is still in progress.
Brown said her family is grateful to all who have shared information related to the days around Brougham’s disappearance.
She is also thankful for the support that has been shown to her family by the community in Belchertown and nearby.
