Neighbors of a missing Inwood man fear he may be dead as police continue to investigate his whereabouts.

Michael Anderson, 57, vanished on November 12, neighbors said. Anderson, a tall black male, lived alone and kept to himself, said one neighbor who asked for anonymity.

Michael Anderson, 57, disappeared on November 12 and police have padlocked his apartment as they search for him. (Photo courtesy of DCPI)

Police at the 34 Precinct said they issued a missing person’s report for Anderson after his doctors called his apartment looking for him. Anderson also emailed a suicide letter to a friend, the neighbor said.

Officers searched the apartment complex at 330 Haven Avenue for Anderson, last seen on November 12 around 1 a.m., police said. They broke down his door and scoured the grounds, said neighbors, who watched.

“They woke me up at 3 a.m. last week and they asked me what I know about him,” Anderson’s neighbor said. “Now they’ve padlocked the door.”
At the precinct, Detective Marc Nell said police saw no signs of struggle in Anderson’s apartment, but continue to look for clues.

His neighbor, a 20-year resident of the complex, said he has known Anderson since he moved in nearly 15 years ago and described him as quiet, reserved and an lover of theater and art. “I would always see him with playbills and programs in his hand,” he said.

Although Anderson was introverted and kept to himself, he always greeted his neighbors, they said.
Now his disappearance distresses them as they pass his padlocked apartment and see his face on missing posters, his longtime neighbor said.