In 1999, a Californian was declared missing, only to be unexpectedly identified by his sister in 2023 after his photograph appeared in a USA Today article this April. However, this heartwarming reunion was overshadowed by unsettling revelations.
Tommy Manizak, found by his sister Marcella (Marcie) Nasseri, has a history as a convicted sex offender from 1993, as reported by the Lassen County Sheriff’s Department and shared by USA Today.
Manizak served three years in county prison, Capt. Mike Carney said.
Investigative leads hinted that Manizak had been processed with fingerprints, yet later findings disclosed this process was never completed. This crucial oversight resulted in law enforcement’s inability to recognize and identify him, as detailed in these reports.
Manizak registered as a sex offender in Lassen County but when he left town he never registered in his new location, Carney said.
“He went to Oregon and after that, according to his family, he was just kind of a free soul and he just floated around,” Carney said.
While Nasseri is aware of the newly uncovered circumstances, describing what her brother did as “sickening and horrible,” she told USA Today she is still overjoyed to reconnect with him.
“But at the end of the day, he’s still my brother, and I’m not turning my back on my flesh and blood,” Nasseri said. “I love him and I’ve been looking for 25 years – all the other stuff is outside noise, he’s my brother and I love him.”
Manizak skipped town a few years after being released from jail and failed to reregister as a sex offender in his new city. (GoFundMe)
On her GoFundMe page, Nasseri said she is very far away from her brother’s location and is looking for assistance to aid him until a medical transfer is possible as he is learning to do everyday things again.
