The mother of former UNM physics student Colin Bentley has not seen her son since Nov. 29, and she said the state of Bentley’s mental health is cause for concern.
Barbara Davis said she last heard from her son via e-mail Jan. 3. Before that, Davis said she spoke with Bentley on the phone Dec. 24, and records show that was the last time Bentley used his cell phone.
“Hi mom,” Bentley’s Jan. 3 e-mail to his mother reads. “Sorry I have not replied in mucho tiempo. My phone charger stopped working, and I have been unable to locate a new one in the immediate vicinity.”
UNMPD Detective Mariann Wallace said in an e-mail to Davis that bank statements from Dec. 1-31 show purchases were made with Bentley’s bank card at eateries in the SUB, various establishments on Lomas Boulevard, at a Smith’s and a Diamond Shamrock.
Wallace said more recent bank statements cannot be obtained without a subpoena.
Davis said she came from her home in Taos with family members on Sunday to paper the UNM campus with missing person fliers. She said she spoke with one employee from the Sonic at the SUB who recognized Bentley’s picture and has seen him in the past few weeks.
Wallace reported in another e-mail to Davis that University records show Bentley either withdrew or failed all of his courses from the fall 2010 semester and that he never registered for courses this semester.
Davis said her son is having a mental breakdown. She said Bentley’s hair was slightly longer and that he was 15 pounds lighter when she last saw him compared to the photo in the missing person flier.
“He’s the kind of person when you ask him how things are, he’ll tell you everything’s fine,” she said. “He will resist assistance and resist help. … But he’s not OK. He’s really not OK. He’s not functioning.”
The missing person flier says Bentley was last seen living in his car, a gray 1986 Honda Accord hatchback, near UNM Hospital on Dec. 23. However, Davis said Bentley’s car was found near the hospital without a battery and towed. She said she called the towing company Monday and Bentley’s car is still sitting in the Budget Towing Co. lot.
She wishes to tell Bentley to come home so she can help him get back on his feet.
“He’s brilliant,” she said. “He is a brilliant physicist and mathematician. … We just want to know he’s OK.”
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