In Focus

I have seen it time and again people using social media to track down family members. So, I thought I’d give it a shot.

I have a cousin I have never met, on my mother’s side.

My “uncle” that I also had never met was the black sheep of the family for good reason. He was a thief and a manipulating con-artist. Another uncle, whom I love dearly, has been on the receiving end of the black sheep’s lies. The “black sheep” would use my uncles name when he’d get pulled over by law enforcement for example.

He also stole money from my grandmother and didn’t bother coming to her funeral.

All I remember as a kid was if he ever stopped by the house, I was told not to let him in for any reason.

At one point he got married and had a daughter. My family loved them. Then they fled. He was abusive and his wife did the only thing she could, flee from him with her daughter, my cousin.

I don’t know the details. All I know was that it was a pretty bad situation.

A few years ago, this black sheep uncle died. Needless to say we didn’t attend any services for him.

Now that he’s gone, it’s safe to look for my missing family. My mother said she hasn’t seen or heard from them since my cousin was two years old. I’ve tried looking online, through social media, but it’s hard to find someone you don’t know, not knowing their last name or if they are even still alive.

My cousin’s name is Michelle Barker, or at least it was when she was two. She would be about 51 years old now. Her mother was Catherine “Cass” Duncan. Other than living in California at some point, we have no idea where they are.

I put this info out on social media in hopes to find them. It has worked for others. Hopefully, it will work for us too.