Daughter searches for missing father in Downey

For two days now, 32-year-old Kiersten Carlin has been driving around Downey in search of her father, a retired San Diego County sheriff's deputy who went missing in Florida more than two years ago when he fell off his medication for schizophrenia.

Larry Everett Starks, 69, was found Jan. 5 in front of Frantone's Pizza & Spaghetti Villa near Telegraph Road and Serapis Avenue, according to Carlin.

The restaurant staff fed Starks, then called Downey police.

"This is the first lead we have had on him," Carlin said.

Starks has no money and no identification but was admitted to the nearby Kaiser Permanente hospital, where he told nurses and police he was a retired San Diego County deputy looking for his daughter in the area, Carlin said.

The hospital staff confirmed with San Diego authorities that he was indeed a retired deputy, but legally they could not detain him. Starks was released Jan. 6, Carlin said.

He was last seen wearing blue sweat pants and a dark-colored windbreaker. Carlin said his father has a beard and may be in the general area of Downey or Norwalk. Starks is 6 feet, 2 inches tall.

Anyone with information about Starks is asked to call the Downey Police Department at 562-861-0771 or Carlin at (714) 310-1617.

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--Ruben Vives

Twitter.com/latvives

Photo: Larry Everett Starks. Credit: Courtesy of Kiersten Carlin