A man's body was found on Saturday, Aug. 11, in the open desert near Ludlow, Calif., and authorities are awaiting an autopsy to make a definitive identification, but the body matches the description of missing Bryan M. Porcaro, of Chicago, the Contra Costa Times reported.
Porcaro, 37, has been missing since Aug. 5 after having car trouble on I-40 near Ludlow, according to the Missing Persons of America website. Porcaro was traveling with his 5-month-old black Labrador/poodle puppy, Ruff, when his black Volkswagen Golf broke down. He used an emergency phone on I-40 and drove a few more miles before he abandoned the car.
The body was found at about 1 a.m. a short distance away from where Porcaro's vehicle had broken down, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Porcaro is an account representative with Constellation Energy and was on medical leave while undergoing treatment for liver disease, the website reported. Since last summer, he has lived in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, said Todd Davidson, a Chicago real estate broker.
Davidson and Porcaro met online in 2002 and started dating in 2004, Davidson said.
"His smile was just amazing. His looks just took my breath away when I first met him," said Davidson, 45, who now lives in Edgewater. "There was instantaneous attraction when we first met."
They mostly did indoor activities, such as watching TV together or enjoying home-cooked meals. They also went out for dinner and to movies, but rarely went to gay bars, Davidson said.
"His work was so demanding; he was working 12-hour days, minimum," Davidson said.
The two dated for about three months, Davidson said.
"He had a great personality, was very funny," Davidson said of Porcaro. "He was very subdued, very laid back. A lot of people were friends with him, and everyone says the same thing about him, that he was one of the sweetest guys you'd ever meet."
Porcaro had two cats, named Kitty and Other Kitty.
"Bryan was my first boyfriend and anyone who you talk to who knew him will say, he is unforgettable," Davidson said.
"The story that was told to me [about what happened] … there are parts of it that just don't make sense to me. There's got to be something else that happened. They found the keys to the car [still] in the ignition and the dog leash on the side of the car.
There are so many unanswered questions about this."