Investigators renew search for missing man in Fort Myers cold case

Reporter: Dannielle Garcia Writer: Jack Lowenstein
Published: Updated:
Porter Taylor Albert. Credit: Wilhelm Llanillo,

There is a renewed push to find a missing Southwest Florida man who was last seen 287 days ago. Friends told us they hope to get answers soon.

Investigators with Fort Myers Police Department handed out fliers Tuesday where Porter Taylor Albert spent a lot of time in Fort Myers.

Police went up and down Cleveland Avenue where Albert lived and worked to continue the effort to find him, asking businesses to post fliers to help the search.

“We’re currently working on a missing person’s case that dates back to January,” said Ed Haras with FMPD’s cold case unit.

That’s a long time for someone to disappear without a trace.

“We were wondering if you’d be willing to post a few of these fliers,” Haras said while out in public for the search. “It could simulate some cue where they remember someone talking about it, so the goal is to keep these up here and keep it fresh in the public’s mind.”

Surveillance video from a Big Lots in North Fort Myers from Jan. 15 shows the last time Albert was seen. A few days later, police arrested a friend of his, Tiffany Contestable, who was driving his car in Cape Coral.

She told detectives she was looking for Albert. Since then, there has not been any reported sighting.

“I’m hoping for the best,” FMPD Detective Vincent Doyle said. “I’m hoping that he is alive and we locate him and bring some gratification to the family.”

“He’s 78 years old, and he’d stop to help you change a tire on your car and wouldn’t think twice about it,” Jim Domalik said.

Domalik is a friend of Albert but more like family. He told us it’s tough to stay positive.

“I think about him, and I start crying,” Domalik said. “He’s like a mentor to me, like a father figure.”

Credit: FMPD.

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