Leimen area puzzled by disappearance of doctor, reported threat on soldier
By Jon R. Anderson, Stars and Stripes
HEIDELBERG, Germany — A soldier was accosted by two men with a handgun who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent Sunday night as he was driving from his home in Leimen, Germany, near the U.S. Army Europe headquarters in Heidelberg.
"We did have a report of a soldier driving in the vicinity of Leimen at about 1830, allegedly being threatened by occupants in another vehicle," said Army spokeswoman Millie Waters. "It’s being investigated. We’re taking it seriously and we’re looking into it."
Officials refused to release any additional information.
The German police, however, confirmed they are searching for "two dark-skinned men who look Middle Eastern to the witness," according to Heidelberg Polizei officer Bernd Greuenbuhoer.
Leimen, like many of the towns in the Heidelberg area, has a large Turkish community.
Concerned that such reports could stir anti-Arab and anti-Turkish sentiments in the wake of last Tuesday’s terrorist attacks, Gruenbuhoer added that because it was getting dark around the time of the incident, that perhaps the soldier did not see clearly.
The soldier told officials the men were driving an old, yellow four-door Mercedes. The car’s registration plate number, however, did not match a car of that description.
A similar incident in another community is also being investigated, but again Army officials declined to release details.
Maj. Jon Baldwin
Meanwhile, the search continues for Maj. Jon Baldwin — also from Leimen — who has been missing since Thursday, said officials.
A family practice physician at the Heidelberg Hospital, Baldwin disappeared without a trace after leaving for work Thursday morning.
Baldwin was the commander of the Butzbach Health Clinic in Giessen for two years before being reassigned to Heidelberg last year.
"I’ve thought of everything and I just have no idea what could have happened to him," said his wife, Sherilyn, who was the last person to see him. "There’s no physical evidence that points to anything at all. He just vanished without any clues. I can’t even guess. There’s nothing."
Baldwin is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds; he is the father of three young boys including one newborn. He was driving a burgundy 1998 Subaru Legacy Outback, USAREUR registration plate number AF AB 708.
"Even when he’s going to be late for dinner, he calls," said Sherilyn Baldwin. "He’s always very thoughtful. What is so hard is that he is such an attentive, loving father. He just really loves those boys. It’s hard for me to think that he would just go off somewhere."
His cell phone has been turned off, his wife she said, since he disappeared.
"God knows where is," she said. "That’s the only thing giving me comfort right now."
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call the military police at 06221-678-2222.
Here's the update on Jon Baldwin from Stars & Stripes from Saturday, September 29, 2001: