Police search for Mark Brunelle, Bellingham man missing since February

BELLINGHAM, Mass. — In Bellingham, concern continues to grow for Mark Brunelle, 59, missing since February 23.

“Every day we’ve been working literally at the crack of dawn and have not been sleeping,” daughter Nicole Brunelle said. “We’ve pulled out all the stops and trying to keep it in people’s minds and get as many hands to help find our dad.”

Mark Brunelle was last seen at his apartment at 60 South Main Street in Bellingham at 11 a.m. on February 23.

His daughters say Mark left his apartment after telling his roommate that he was going to drop off his laundry with a cleaning service.

At about 1:30 p.m., a home video surveillance camera captured an image of Mark’s vehicle near the Blackstone Gorge, which is a park in neighboring Blackstone, which sits next to the powerful Blackstone River.

Eventually, Mark’s vehicle was found parked at his self-storage unit in Woonsocket, RI, about five miles away from the Blackstone Gorge. Mark’s cellphone was recovered from inside his vehicle.

But Mark is gone.

There have been searches conducted in and around the Woonsocket, RI storage unit, the Blackstone Gorge, and other places that were important to him, but not a trace of what happened to Mark Brunelle has turned up.

“It’s this constant emotional battle of what to feel, how to feel, is he alive? Has he passed on? It’s a big struggle,” daughter Mariah Brunelle said.

In January 2013, Mark’s son, Nicole and Mariah’s brother, committed suicide.

The daughters tell me Mark was struggling with the loss, but they are quick to add that he knew how to handle that emotional pain, and who to call. They don’t believe their brother’s suicide factors into their father’s disappearance.

They say that Mark had recently been diagnosed with Covid-19, and was at the tail end of the illness when he disappeared. However, he told a family member he was still feeling lethargic the day before he vanished.

Nicole and Mariah both agree that Mark was looking forward to scheduled family trips in 2021 to Florida and Alaska and that his spirits were mostly high.

So, what happened to Mark Brunelle?

No one knows.

But people don’t simply vanish into thin air. There is always an explanation.

If you live in the Bellingham, Blackstone, Woonsocket, RI area, check your home surveillance cameras for anything you may have recorded on February 23.

If you think you’ve recently seen Mark Brunelle, call Bellingham Police at (508) 966.1515

There is a vigil scheduled for Mark Brunelle on Saturday, March 13 from 5-7 p.m. at 70 Harpin Street in Bellingham, MA.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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