Deborah Eckland first reported her brother Glenn Chrzan missing to Manchester Police on January 29. He’d left Catholic Medical Center and wandered into the cold, wearing a puffy jacket, hospital pants and a pair of Crocs.

A 47-day search ensued before he was found dead, lying in the woods near the highway.

Records from the Manchester Police Department reveal a scattered search for Chrzan. A state-wide silver alert was issued two weeks after he disappeared. After checking homeless encampments in the city for Chrzan, officers began searching on foot after the alert shot across the state.

Before and after the police search, Eckland took the bus from Concord to Manchester, walking up and down Elm Street, across the bridge and in the neighborhoods around the hospital, desperate for a trace of her brother.

He’d experienced homelessness in Texas before coming to the Granite State. But his fate in Concord was not much different, as Eckland’s housing voucher meant she couldn’t allow him to stay with her, as her lease didn’t allow for additional tenants in her one-bedroom apartment.

He spent the summer living on Concord’s streets. By November, he’d agreed to move to the Helping Hands shelter in Manchester, where he’d have a reprieve from the cold and could meet with case workers from Veterans Affairs.

“He didn’t know Manchester, though,” said Eckland. When her brother walked out of the hospital into the cold, he was in an unfamiliar city and unprepared for the winter cold.

Eckland walked the streets daily and begged the police for help.

Timeline of the search

January 29

Officer Rogerio Dias works the evening shift at Manchester Police Department. At 10:11 p.m., a call came in from Eckland, who reported her brother missing. She noted that they hadn’t been in contact for a few days and after Chrzan was admitted to the hospital from Helping Hands.

Eckland also shared that Chrzan had left Catholic Medical Center, according to hospital security staff, and declined a ride.

“Deborah assumed that Glenn left the hospital with only the clothes on his back, without a coat or shoes,” the report stated.

Dias told Eckland that the police department would search the hospital perimeter for Chrzan, particularly around the 7-Eleven, which abuts a series of walking trails.

Police also visited a number of encampments with a photo of Chrzan to no avail.

January 30

Just after midnight an official missing persons entry was made in Manchester Police’s system.

February 2

Detective Meghan Grant talked to Eckland, who shared that she has still not made contact with her brother. Eckland had called Helping Hands, local hospitals and other shelters to no avail.

February 12

An update to the missing persons report detailed that Chrzan had a salt and pepper beard and was slightly balding. He was last seen wearing a black puffy jacket, black slippers and had a southern drawl.

February 13

Manchester Police received a call from a Manchester resident who stated they may have seen Chrzan. The caller said he was walking by their house, which was located across the river from Catholic Medical Center, but only saw the back side of him.

Detective Garrett Bombard also noted that the police should call Larry Nice, the executive director of the Helping Hands shelter, where Chrzan was living before he went to the hospital.

Police spoke to Nice, who provided a timeline, which included an ambulance bringing Chrzan to the hospital on January 27 after he experienced chest pains and a shortness of breath.

Nice also provided contact information for a case worker at Veterans Affairs who had worked with Chrzan.

Bombard also spoke to security staff and nurses at Catholic Medical Center, who shared that Chrzan left the hospital just before 8:30 a.m. on January 28 after refusing treatment and a ride to Helping Hands.

He asked for directions but was found 20 minutes later wandering the Rite Aid parking lot next door. Security video last showed Chrzan walking along Notre Dame Avenue just after 9:40 a.m.

Other cameras from Catholic Medical Center, including all indoor cameras, no longer had footage available, according to the police report.

Local homeless shelters in Manchester also posted flyers with Chrzan’s photo and a notice that he was missing. Elliot Hospital and Valley Street Jail also checked their records, which yielded no results.

February 14

An employee from Homeless Initiative New Hampshire, who works with the Manchester mayor’s office, called the police to share that Chrzan was mentally handicapped and had difficulty walking. He did not have any further information about Chrzan’s whereabouts.

Detective Adam Bergeron-Rosa called Nice again, who provided further medical information about Chrzan as well as contact information for other case workers who knew him.

Bergeron-Rosa also spoke with a case worker from Veterans Affairs, who confirmed medical conditions.

A silver alert was issued for Chrzan.

February 17

Grant checked with local hospitals and jails again for Chrzan. A canvass began along Notre Dame Avenue and Wayne Street near Catholic Medical Center for camera footage.

February 18

Bombard spoke with a staff member at the VA hospital, who shared that Chrzan had an appointment that day. He said he would notify police if Chrzan did not show up.

Chrzan did not attend the appointment.

February 24

Eckland called Manchester Police to report she has security footage from neighboring houses along Notre Dame Avenue.

February 26

Eckland called again to share that she recovered her brother’s phone from Helping Hands, which includes a video of him repeating “help me.” She also communicated that at times Chrzan was previously suicidal.

Due to the weather, Manchester Police had been unable to use a drone to check the area and planned to schedule a time for an aerial view.

February 27

Grant received a photo from a house on Notre Dame Avenue that showed Chrzan walking inside the yard of the property in the same clothes he was last seen wearing when he left the hospital just before 10 a.m. on January 28.

A drone pilot was scheduled to fly over the area the next day.

February 28

A drone was flown over Catholic Medical Center and searched the area. Thermal imaging was used to detect possible heat signatures of individuals, according to the report. Nothing was found.

After an hour and a half search, Chrzan was not found, and the investigation remained ongoing.

March 15

Patrol officers responded to a report at 210 Eddy Road that a male body was found in the woods near the Interstate 293 on ramp. The body was identified as Chrzan with a hospital bracelet and a temporary driver’s license in his pocket.