Family of missing Arlington Hts. man trying to stay hopeful

As authorities continue to search for a missing Arlington Heights man, his family is struggling to hold on to hope.

Eugene Jonsson, 84, left his home on the evening of Aug. 22 to pick up some food at a local restaurant. He never returned.

He was seen shortly before 1 a.m. on Aug. 23 near Yorkville in Kendall County, where he asked for directions to an intersection in Naperville. Since then, sightings and promising leads have been few, Arlington Heights police said.

At home, meanwhile, Jonsson’s family members are feeling both anxious and sad as they wait for a sign that he is safe.

“I’ve nearly lost hope, to be honest,” Jonsson’s wife, Marion, said on Sunday. “I can’t believe this has happened. It’s so awful.”

Sue Martin, Jonsson’s daughter, drove to Arlington Heights from Kansas City about 10 days ago. She’s been staying at her parents’ house, taking care of her mother and handling all the household chores.

“I’ve been doing a lot of driving, the cleaning — all the things my dad used to do,” she said. “Really, I’m just trying to be here for my mother. She’s so sad and I’m being sad with her.”

Martin said friends and neighbors have been hugely supportive.

“Everyone has been reaching out on Facebook or calling, asking about my dad,” Martin said. “And friends of Mom’s have been calling all the time. The neighbors have been wonderful, too. I was having trouble turning on my dad’s lawn mower the other day — I guess my dad always had trouble with it, too — and our neighbor just mowed the lawn for us.”

Jonsson left his house in a gray 2004 Buick LeSabre 4-door car with the Illinois license plate JONS507. He is white, stands about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs about 190 pounds. He is balding with gray hair and blue eyes. He wears eyeglasses.

Family members say that while Jonsson had not been formally diagnosed with any health issues, he had been struggling with bouts of memory loss. Marion Jonsson didn’t know of any reason why her husband would have been looking for the Naperville intersection — Route 59 and Ogden Avenue — except that he might have been trying to reach their son, who lives in South Elgin not too far from Route 59.

“This is all speculation, but I do wonder if he got lost and then a little confused after leaving our house,” she said. “But of course we just don’t know.”

Police continue to ask the public to contact them if they see Jonsson or his car. Arlington Heights investigators can be reached at (847) 368-5348.