CLEVELAND — Cleveland police are asking for the public's help finding a Steelers fan who was visiting Cleveland for Thursday night’s game against the Browns.
Police said Phoenix Phillips, a 24-year-old Maryland man, was last seen about 6 a.m. Friday morning in the area of West 10th Street, near West Superior and the Robert Lockwood area.
Sgt. Freddy Diaz, public information officer with the Cleveland Police Department, said detectives are searching the area where Phillips was last seen, looking for video and following any tip that could lead to his whereabouts.
"He's from out of state, so he was in town visiting and at some point kind of got separated from the person he was with, and after that, you know, we're still trying to determine what actually happened, " Diaz said.
Cleveland Missing social worker Breejanee Alford met with Phillips' family and described the toll his disappearance is taking on his family.
"The family is devastated," Alford said.
She said those close to Phillips paint a picture of a devoted dad.
"They're telling me that he's a loving dad and he also loves the Steelers. That's why he came for the Browns game," she said.
Sylvia Colon, co-founder of Cleveland Missing, said the case presents unique challenges because neither Phillips nor his family are familiar with the city.
"Yeah, it is different. He's from another state. The family's from another state, and they're here," Colon said.
Cleveland Missing is helping the family while in Cleveland.
Anyone with information about Phoenix Phillips' whereabouts is asked to contact Cleveland police at 216-835-6179.
