Terry Aho 'chasing a ghost' to find missing son

After a tip led Terry Aho to scour Sudbury for his missing son this past May, the North Bay father said he now feels like he's “chasing a ghost.”

On Oct. 12, 2009, Robert Aho went missing from the family's cottage in the Marten River area. The Aho family had high hopes about a tip they received May 13 from a man who thinks he rode the bus from Sault Ste. Marie to Sudbury with Robert.

They travelled to Sudbury to look for their loved one, and numerous people said they'd seen a man meeting Robert's description, especially in the downtown area.
But Aho said they're now receiving tips about this man being seen in both Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie.

“It seems that we're right now chasing a ghost between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie,” he said.

“We're getting leads in Sault Ste. Marie, and the next day we're getting leads in Sudbury and then Sault Ste. Marie and then Sudbury. We just can't seem to put our finger on it.”

Robert, who would now be 35, is roughly five-feet, seven-inches tall, 160 pounds and stocky, his father told Northern Life this past May. He's also been naturally bald from the age of 16, with just a little bit of hair around his ears, which he shaves.

He suffers from epileptic seizures that can cause him to lose his memory — something Terry thinks may have played a part in his disappearance.

Aho said every time he receives a tip, he has a friend who lives in the community in question look for Robert.

“We always seem to be too late,” he said.

Although the search has been frustrating, the father said he wants to thank Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie community members who have phoned in tips.

“The response has been good,” Aho said.

“There's lots of people looking for him. We're getting lots of information. It'll be quiet for three or four days, and all of a sudden we'll get a couple of different calls from different people, and we'll start looking again.”

Meanwhile, the Aho family is acting to help other families whose loved ones are missing.

Because there's currently no ground search and rescue in the North Bay area, Aho is working with other community members to set up such an organization.

More details about the fledgling organization are due to be released later this month, he said.

“There's six or seven people missing out of North Bay right now,” Aho said.

“So what we're concerned with doing is actually looking for the people that are already missing, such as Robbie, and help the families of the people who have people missing.”

Anyone with information on Robert Aho's whereabouts is asked to phone the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or the Aho family at 1-705-471-1019.