Where was Joe Shymanski last seen? Online community offers support in search for missing father 

The online community is rallying behind the family of Joe Shymanski, a missing father of two who vanished from his home on Sunday, September 23, 2023. In a string of Facebook posts, the missing dad’s friends and family revealed that Joe Shymanski was last seen at his home in Huntingtown, Maryland, on Sunday afternoon around 4 p.m.

While the circumstances surrounding Shymanski’s disappearance are unknown, multiple people online said that the missing dad of two, who was spending the weekend with his kids preparing for the school year, disappeared without a trace on Sunday. Concerns were raised after Shymanski left his car, keys, and phone at the house.

Calvert County Sheriff's Department is also reportedly investigating the case but has not turned out any leads in connection to the sudden disappearance.

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Online community rallies around Joe Shymanski's family in wake of his disappearance

On Tuesday, Sept. 5, worried family and friends of Huntingtown native Joe Shymanski took to social media to plead for information that would lead to the missing father’s whereabouts in the wake of his disappearance.

Shymanski, photographer and longtime vendor at Eastern Market was reported missing on Sunday after he disappeared from his home. People close to the missing dad revealed that the abrupt disappearance was out of character for the family man devoted to his kids. In a Facebook Post, Shymanski’s brother-in-law expressed his concerns that the disappearance was deemed suspicious as the father of two would not have left his cars and keys behind in the house. He said:

"Please spread this far and wide. He would not have left home without his phone and keys, so this is all very suspicious and concerning. Please DM me or the others tagged here if you have any information about where Joe may be, or if he reaches out to you."

In the wake of the plea online, the online community rallied behind Shymanski’s concerned family and helped amplify the message of his disappearance. Several people flooded the page with supportive comments, praying for his safe return. A social media user commented:

“Oh my goodness! Please keep us updated as we pray for his safe return.”

A Facebook account named Arlington Neighbors Helping Each Other described Shymanski as the pillar of the community and said that the photographer was endearingly dubbed “photo Joe” around town.

“I know “Photo Joe” from many years of professional events and he is a wonderful person to work with. This is extremely out of character for him - please keep an eye out and report if you see anything.”

Meanwhile, a concerned friend, Katie Desmond, implored community members to keep an eye out for the missing father Joe Shymanski and said:

“We are sick with worry over Joe Shymanski. The man is more than a friend to us, he is like family in the truest sense, and I know that almost everyone who really knows him feels that way about him. Even people who met him casually can't help but note how kind, gracious, and helpful he is.”

Desmond further claimed that she had reached out to the detective investigating the case and was told “some type of announcement may be coming in the near future."

As police continued to investigate the case, anyone with information was asked to reach out to Detectives on the case at 410.474.7015 or 443.684.1340 in the Calvert County Sheriff's office.