Disease lab mystery: CDC researcher left work sick two weeks ago – then vanished

Timothy Cunningham has been a rising official at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Harvard-educated epidemiologist was promoted in July at the US public health service in Atlanta, and contributed to responses following outbreaks of Zika, Ebola and health emergencies resulting from Hurricane Sandy. He was also a prominent fixture in the Atlanta community, earning a spot in Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 under 40 Awards last year.

But the researcher who studies disease patterns was not feeling well on February 12, and left work around midday.

“I feel like I’m in a horrible ‘Black Mirror’ episode,” his sister, Tiara Cunningham, told The New York Times, describing the dystopian sci-fi television show. “I’m kind of lost without him, to be quite honest.”

She told the paper she speaks with her brother often, but their conversation on February 12 left her concerned. “He sounded not like himself,” she said. He did not reply to a text message she sent later, and their mother Tia-Juana did not contact him either.

Cunningham’s father, Terrell, and mother drove all night from their home in Waldorf, Maryland, to Atlanta, arriving on Valentine’s Day. Their discoveries inside their son’s home raised more questions, including Cunningham’s unattended dog Mr Bojangles and their son’s wallet, cellphone and driving licence. His car was also in the garage, the Times reported.

Terrell also had concerns about recent interactions with his son, who described him as focused on a host of professional and personal issues.