An Austin newlywed who vanished at Bush Intercontinental Airport as he and his bride were about to fly to Italy may have had a bout with temporary amnesia, his wife said. Posted on 05/17/2002 2:52:05 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
An Austin newlywed who vanished at Bush Intercontinental Airport as he and his bride were about to fly to Italy may have had a bout with temporary amnesia, his wife said.
Sean McNulty, 30, was last seen by his wife, Amy, about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Houston airport. They had just ridden a shuttle bus from a long-term parking lot and were walking into the terminal for their flight to Rome, where they had planned to spend their honeymoon, the wife said.
Her husband told her he was going to their car to get his wallet. But he never came back. His wallet was not found in the car, she said.
Amy McNulty, 26, said she feared her husband could have succumbed to a bout of temporary amnesia, which he had first suffered two weeks before.
"I'm scared to death," she said.
Houston police said they have found no signs of foul play. A groundskeeper at a golf course near the airport told police he thought he had seen someone who resembles Sean McNulty wandering the course Tuesday night, but no clues to his whereabouts have been found, said Houston Police Department investigator D.M. Buse.
Also, a shuttle bus driver said she had seen Sean McNulty on Tuesday morning, Amy McNulty said.
Volunteers with the search group Texas Equusearch scoured the golf course and other areas near the airport Tuesday and plan to search on horseback in wooded areas today if McNulty doesn't turn up, said Tim Miller, the group's founder.
Amy McNulty said her husband had been treated two weeks ago at an Austin hospital for an unknown illness that caused him to temporarily forget his name and who she was.
She took Sean McNulty to an Austin hospital, but tests didn't reveal reasons for his symptoms. Hospital officials suspected he was suffering side effects of GHB, a so-called "date rape" drug, Amy McNulty said.
He had come home from his job as a bartender at an Austin restaurant and complained of vomiting, nausea, dizziness and confusion, she said.
"Basically, he was so confused he couldn't focus from one second to the next," she said. "He didn't know his name."
About 18 hours after the onset of the symptoms, he slept on and off for three days and complained of forgetfulness for days afterward, she added.
Janet Stringer, associate professor of pharmacology and neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, said even overdoses of GHB -- which causes memory loss -- usually last about three hours and would not cause forgetfulness two weeks later, Stinger said.
Amy McNulty said her husband had similar symptoms moments before he disappeared Tuesday.
She said she and her husband were married Sunday and were happy. They had known each other about six years, she said.
"This is like our dream honeymoon," she said. "We were really excited. He would not miss this trip."
McNulty was last seen wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes and a T-shirt. He has a circular scar on his right hand between his thumb and forefinger.
Anyone with information about Sean McNulty can call Texas Equusearch at 281-309-9500.
Go figure....
The disappearance of Sean McNulty, 30, of Austin, remained a mystery to his newlywed bride and friends because he appeared "catatonic" and unable to speak, said Trish Henry, his mother-in-law.
He was found slumped against the outside wall of a closed hotel near Bush Intercontinental Airport about 1:30 p.m., said Houston Police Department officer Glen Weinschreider. A security guard at the hotel saw the unshaven McNulty and alerted police.
"He had no memory of the last few days," Weinschreider said. "He couldn't remember his name."
McNulty was taken to Northeast Medical Center Hospital and doctors ran a brain scan, a CT scan and blood tests to determine if his apparent amnesia was linked to physical problems. Results were not complete late Friday.
Tom L. Broad, hospital spokesman, said McNulty was in stable condition in the emergency room.
McNulty later was transferred to Methodist Hospital.
"I'm just so glad he's alive," said Amy McNulty, his wife. "We can work through anything else."
Sean McNulty disappeared about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday while he and his wife were about to board a flight to Italy. He told her he needed to go back to their car to get his wallet, but he never returned. The couple had married Sunday.
Henry said her son-in-law was "not coherent" when he was found. "He didn't recognize Amy," she said. "He didn't recognize his mother. He was catatonic. His eyes were open, but he wasn't speaking or responding."
Amy McNulty said her husband had suffered a bout of temporary amnesia and disorientation about two weeks ago.
At that time, he did not know his name or who she was, but recovered in about 36 hours. She feared then that he had been unknowingly drugged with GHB, a so-called "date-rape" drug.
This time, she said, she didn't have any clue to what had caused his behavior. She said her husband's close friend was hurt in a car accident after their wedding and he may have been troubled about that.
Late Friday afternoon, volunteers with Texas Equusearch, a search group that scoured areas near the airport for Sean McNulty on Thursday and Friday, and the couple's friends gathered outside the hospital.
They said they were relieved that he was not hurt but were worried about his mental and emotional health.
"I'm going to wait here until I find out what's wrong," said Robin Martinez. [End]
Bush Intercontinental is HUGE.
The lost husband may have a fried egg for a brain from drug abuse. I think it was a stupid idea for them to get married in his condition.
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