THE MISSING FILES: Bryan 'Vladek' Hasel who vanished in 2021 may have had a 'psychotic break,' says sister
THE MISSING FILES is a weekly special feature that looks into cases of missing people across America that have shattered communities and families. It delves into the known facts and the latest updates on these mysterious disappearances.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA: The disappearance of Bryan "Vladek" Hasel has been haunting his family for more than a year now. Vladek, who was 22 when he went missing, was last seen on CCTV footage on November 6, 2021, but there were a couple of other reported sightings later that week at his apartment complex near East Orlando, Florida. His family has been looking for answers and fighting to bring him home. At the time, Vladek had reportedly been living with his father near the University of Central Florida (UCF) campus.
A Facebook group named 'Find Bryan "Vladek" Hasel' has been set up by his family to spread awareness about his disappearance. A website that goes by the same name has also been set up. "We adopted Vladek (and his sister Irena) from Russia when he was five years old," Bethany Hasel, Vladek's sister, said in an interview with MEAWW. "Since he was little he always talked about his desire to join the marines. In 2018 he graduated from the Marines bootcamp and served a desk job, which didn’t work well with his need to be on the move personality. In the fall of 2019 Vladek was able to receive a discharge from the marines that they classified as failure to adapt," she added.
RELATED ARTICLES
"Since leaving the marines he seemed to struggle with determining what was next for him. Eventually, in beginning of 2021, he seemed to have a change in personality. He went on to denounce material possessions," she continued, adding, "He was being financially supported by and living with my dad at the time, when he started finding ways to give back to his community, he would bring meals to those that were in the homeless community, and leave large tips for waitresses/waiters if he heard they were struggling in any way. He would also start up conversations with anyone near by him to hear or learn about their stories."
The disappearance of Bryan 'Vladek' Hasel
Bethany's father called her after he returned to the apartment on November 15, 2021, and asked her if she had heard from Vladek. He was not there in the apartment. "My dad said he had told Vladek he probably wasn’t going to get back into town until the evening of November 16, so we had thought maybe he was still spending time with a friend," Bethany recalled. "But when he still did not show up, we filed a missing persons report," she said.
Vladek's biological sister, Irena, was the last person to speak to him before he went missing. "He called her during the early morning hours of November 6. Irena said there was nothing out of the ordinary about their conversation, and that was a common time for them to talk on the phone. Vladek didn’t use his phone again after that day," Bethany said.
On being asked about law enforcement's role in the case, Bethany said, "Communication has been the biggest barrier between us and law enforcement. In my opinion, there are stereotypes too. Vladek being an adult male, he is allowed to leave and they don’t take his missing persons case seriously from day one. I believe a lot of important information could have been gathered before it was lost due to too much time passing by," adding, "I wish they would go back to the beginning and take a fresh look at the case, and re-interview key witnesses."
'Vladek may have had a psychotic break'
Bethany said she believed there were many possibilities of what may have happened to Vladek. She said it was possible that the people he was hanging out with "took advantage of his generosity" or "he had a psychotic break."
"Vladek seemed to be going through periods of perceived depression. Giving back to his community seemed to give him the most purpose. He would also not let anyone know if he was struggling internally, so if he was going through a hard time it’s possible it played a part in his disappearance," Bethany said.
Bethany said they have been posting flyers and had a search team search the woods surrounding the apartment complex. "Other searches were held by people who wanted to help, there are billboards with his information and we are continuing to spread awareness on social media platforms as well," said Bethany.
'Vladek would go out to the barn with me and ride horses'
"I miss Vladek so much," Bethany said, adding, "He is the baby out of eight siblings. When my parents split, it was just my mom, him and myself still living at home. We got really close over that time, and Vladek would hang out with me and my friends during game nights/movie nights. We would have a lock-in each year for new years with our friends, staying up and playing Wii games, board games or watching movies. Vladek is also the only sibling that would go out to the barn with me and ride horses. During the more recent times when I would go visit, he and I would take walks around the apartment complex and talk." She added, "Irena says her favorite memories growing up were playing in the snow and having snowball fights."
"If Vladek could hear me, I would tell him that we love you, and miss you so much. We just need to know that you are okay. Please reach out to someone," Bethany concluded.
Anyone with information on Vladek's whereabouts is urged to contact Orange County Sheriff's Office at 407-254-7000. The case number is 21-83864.