*Photo: The Hasel Family @FINDVLADEKHASEL on Instagram*

Just a few days ago we talked about Orlando, Florida. I am not going to bore you with the statistics all over again. We know the crime rates are high and the tourism industry fuels the economy. We are navigating advocacy one more time this month here in Orlando.

The story I am sharing today is one we both have been talking about for weeks. I am sharing the story of Bryan Vladek Hasel, who has been missing since November of 2021.

Vladek Hasel, born on December 20, 1998, in Russia, where he spent his early years alongside his older sister Irena. In 2004, they were adopted by Steve and Cheryl Hasel in Florida. Steve and Cheryl had 6 other children and lived in Inverness, Florida. This is roughly 70 miles northwest of Orlando.

As the siblings settled in with the Hasel family, Vladek adopted the name Bryan, and became part of a bustling household with a total of eight siblings. The older siblings, Amy, Cari, Jonathan, and Jodi, had already moved out, leaving Bethany, Kristyn, and the newly adopted siblings in the family home.

Vladek's younger years in Inverness were marked by the support of a Russian woman and her daughter. They helped the family with the adoption transition and assisted Vladek and Irena in maintaining their connection to the Russian language. Before the adoption, the Hasel family would visit their home, and after the adoption was final, Vladek and Irena continued to spend time there, allowing them to speak Russian and learn English with their assistance.

Throughout his childhood, Vladek was what I consider to be a typical boy. A busy body, always moving full of adventure and energy but kind, sensitive and always looking for ways to help others. His sister Bethany told us a story about how kind Vladek was even as a young child.

“Vladek was really young when we adopted him. He was about five, And he would always be on the go, so active. Always wanna play outside I didn't make new friends with the neighborhood kids. , there was this one time where, The neighbor couldn't find their child. And, at the point where they had the police helicopters going overhead searching the neighborhood. And came inside, and, had told him what was going on, that his friend was missing.

He's probably about seven at this point or so, six or seven. And turns out that had helped the kid and was feeding him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the treehouse because kid didn't wanna go home. That was just kind of his personality, helping where he could even at a young age, Always kind of the goof off personality growing up. He would like to make sound effects as he played, and stuff like that. Like, everywhere he went, he would just make those sound effects too.”

His interests in sports helped him release some of that energy, participating in activities such as soccer, T-Ball, basketball, and even trying his hand at peewee football.

Christmas held a special place in his heart, and the family recalls fond memories of Vladek's creative tree decorating, including adorning himself with Christmas lights and placing the angel topper on his head. His older sister Jodi also has fond memories of Vladek around Christmas time.

“My favorite memories are really, like, around the holidays. Like, he really enjoyed Christmas time. So, it's kind of Fun to see, especially when he was a little kid, how into it he would get and, how Excited, and he'd be goofy when we'd be decorating the house and every and outside of the house for Christmas. So Those were some good times, for sure.”

We spoke with his sisters, Bethany & Jodi; they describe Vladek as the friendliest person one could meet. He was very kind and never met a stranger. Despite the teenage stereotypes, Vladek enjoyed spending time with his family.. He cherished spending time with his sister and her friends during New Year's Lock Ins, creating lasting memories of those gatherings.

The family dynamics shifted a bit during Vladek's middle school years when his parents went through a separation. He then lived with his father, Steve, in Clermont. Even with all of the changes, Vladek remained focused on his lifelong dream of serving in the Marines.

After graduating from high school, Vladek took a significant step towards his goal by moving to Texas to live with his half-sister Cari in June 2017. Here, he provided crucial support to Cari during her pregnancy and was present for the birth of her daughter. During this time, Vladek worked various jobs, including as a game's attendant at Six Flags, security for the Cowboys Stadium, and for a garage door warehouse company.

In September 2018, Vladek moved from Texas to San Diego, California, for Marine Corps basic training. He completed the program in December 2018. His Marine career wasn’t quite what he expected. He found himself in a desk job position for about eight months. Vladek wanted to be a soldier. He was an active person. Sitting at a desk and computer all day was not a fulfilling role. He was a giver and a doer. In the summer of 2019, he opted for a general discharge under honorable conditions, citing difficulty adapting due to negative childhood memories.

After his journey with the Marines, Vladek faced a period of uncertainty, struggling to find a new direction after his military aspirations. His ultimate goal had always been to have a career in the Marines, he had no direction when that dream wasn’t what he expected. In January 2020, he moved to the Detroit, Michigan area to live with Cari again. During this time, he worked as an environmental services tech at a local hospital and enjoyed bonding with his niece. Challenges arose with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting Vladek to financially support his sister and niece. Later, they moved to Nashua, New Hampshire, where Vladek found employment for a short while, but after losing that position, he decided to return to Orlando, Florida, in August 2020, where he lived with his father Steve and Steve's wife.

In 2020, Vlad faced significant challenges with his own mental health, as noted by his father Steve in an interview with WESH News. Steve mentioned that Vlad was struggling with confusion about his life direction, unemployment, and experiencing depression. He had no sense of purpose

Vlad's unemployment became a source of frustration. Subsequent events led to Steve and his wife parting ways, and Steve and Vlad found themselves staying in hotels until securing an apartment in November 2020 at The Place at Alafaya, an apartment complex in Orlando near the University of Central Florida (UCF) campus.

The apartment was near MacKay Boulevard and Alafaya Trail, Vlad shared a vehicle with his father but preferred to walk or use UCF's free buses. He frequented places around Waterford Lakes Plaza and University Boulevard near UCF.

Vladek was a night owl and would take nightly walks around the apartment complex. He engaged in singing and smoking during these walks, while establishing a friendly rapport with maintenance workers. His family described him as kind and thoughtful, always ready to start conversations with anyone.

During this period, Vlad was still exploring his purpose and wasn't working or enrolled in school. He maintained a minimal online presence, using social media primarily for messaging. His leisure activities included PlayStation and watching YouTube videos.

Vlad became a regular at Foxtail coffee shop near UCF, spending hours there up to three times a week. He also frequented a few other shops nearby. Customers occasionally raised concerns about his behavior, but Vlad adjusted his actions based on feedback.

Steve financially supported Vlad, covering his expenses, offering money for a scooter, and allowing him to leave large tips for restaurant workers. That was one of his many traits that brought him joy. Helping others as often as he could.

In early 2021, Vlad underwent a significant shift, rejecting materialism and embracing a more minimalist lifestyle. He gave away his tablet, broke his smartphone, and replaced it with a flip phone, citing distraction as the reason. However, before the smartphone broke, Vlad had received over 40 calls from an unhoused couple who had previously taken advantage of him. Vlad did not want to replace the phone at all. In fact, it was Steve and Irena that convinced him to get a flip phone to carry in case of an emergency but this convincing took about 5 weeks. After Vlad got a new number the previous unhoused couple no longer reached out.

Throughout 2021, Vlad became actively involved in supporting the unhoused community in East Orlando, providing food, taking individuals to dinner and movies, and even letting them use his credit card. He expressed a desire to hike the Appalachian Trail, discussing plans with his family.

Vlad's living conditions reflected his new aversion to material possessions. He initially slept on an air mattress, even after his father offered to purchase a bed for him. Steve would later convince him to get a mattress in a box but it remained unused.

Despite the changes he was making with his personal items, he still liked to devote time to the local Catholic church's prayer garden. Vlad became interested in a YouTube pastor focusing on heaven, archangels, and demons. As he didn’t use a smartphone, his family is unsure who exactly he was watching or what sort of materials he was learning.

In September 2021, the Hasel family began planning a trip to Tennessee to celebrate Bethany's birthday in November. Vlad initially considered hiking the Appalachian Trail and meeting them there but later dismissed it as a pipe dream.

On November 3, 2021, Vlad purchased a pocket knife for protection. That night, he experienced car trouble while driving the car he shared with his father, leading to a breakdown at Waterford Lakes Plaza. Despite concerns about the incident, Vlad walked home, and the car was towed for repairs the following day.

On November 4, Vlad visited his regular coffee shop, Foxtail, and a customer lodged a complaint, expressing discomfort. The individual informed the employees that he intended to leave, resulting in no immediate action taken with Vlad.

Later, upon returning, the same customer reported seeing Vlad sitting outside the establishment and mentioned to the staff that he had also noticed Vladek had placed a pocket knife on the table earlier.

Due to Foxtail's zero weapons policy, a decision was made to issue a trespass warning. However, by this point, Vladek had already departed, oblivious to any issues during his time at Foxtail. The family remained unaware of this incident for several months, but we will get to that in a bit.

On the evening of the 4th, Vlad had an unsettling conversation with Steve about archangels and demons. He made a cryptic statement, remarking, "You have to be dark to kill the dark," a notion that left Steve puzzled. Steve pondered whether Vlad might be quoting something from the YouTube pastor he had been watching.

The out of character behavior had Steve confused so he reached out to Jodi, expressing the difficulty he had understanding Vlad's recent conversations. Jodi suggested a wellness check, but Steve hesitated, believing Vladek would navigate the situation in a way that wouldn't raise alarms.

On November 5th, Steve and Vlad's mom left to go on a trip to Tennessee to meet up with Bethany and a couple of her friends to celebrate her birthday, Vladek had originally planned to join but had decided to stay home a few days prior to them leaving.

Steve left Vlad $100 in cash, a credit card, and instructions to collect a package that was to be delivered. Steve also offered to purchase groceries before leaving town so that Vlad would be more than cared for. Vlad declined the offer stating there was enough food already in the house.

Concerns about Vlad's well-being heightened due to his behavior the previous night. Despite attempts to check in, Vlad did not respond to messages from his family causing some concerns to arise. Vlad’s family also were in the mountains of Tennessee with spotty service. When Vlad didn’t respond they explained it away that perhaps the texts weren’t making it through because of the service issues.

On November 8, a message about a package delivery reached Steve, who assumed Vlad would take it inside. The family continued monitoring the situation, unsure if Vlad's lack of response was due to poor connectivity or his habit of not keeping his phone with him.

Around 4 p.m. on November 15th, Steve returned home from his 10-day Tennessee trip after picking up his car from the repair shop. When he got home, he noticed the package he had ordered still sitting outside his apartment, despite Vlad's promise to bring it inside. Steve observed the untouched kitchen with no missing food from the fridge and no dirty dishes.

According to CUE Missing Persons, it became apparent to Steve that it seemed like Vlad hadn't been staying at the apartment. Vlad's flip phone, unread texts, missed calls from November 6th onwards, gym shoes, and the pocket knife he had just purchased for protection, were all found in his bedroom.

Concerned, Steve chose to delay filing a missing persons report, considering he arrived home earlier than originally planned. Vladek was an adult and perhaps while Steve was away, he had stayed elsewhere. However, when Vladek neither returned nor contacted Steve, the worry intensified. On November 17th, Steve and Bethany filed a missing persons report with the OCSO and initiated advocacy efforts. They created and distributed flyers all around the area. Bethany even posted on her own personal page to spread awareness.

The flyers led to a tip from a maintenance worker suggesting Vladek might be in the woods behind the basketball court. An encounter between the maintenance man and Vladek at the basketball court was initially thought to be on November 12th, but confusion arose, raising the possibility of it being November 5th. This was all left by the maintenance worker on voicemail. Steve, who is hard of hearing, thought the worker stated he saw Vladek “last Friday”. At this point that could have been the Friday that had just passed on the 12th, but could also have been confused for November 5th.

If it was in fact November 12, that Vladek was seen, he would have had to take the sidewalk past the apartment to get to the basketball court. He would have seen the package and taken it in as he had promised his father he would do. If it was November 5th, the package hadn’t arrived yet.

Steve also thought he heard the maintenance worker say they saw Vladek walk into the woods. Steve then relayed that information to authorities.

After Bethany listened to the voicemail she was able to clarify that the maintenance worker said he saw Vlad, spoke to him for a few minutes, and then mentioned that Vlad liked to hang out in the woods behind the basketball courts suggesting a search.

Steve and Bethany contacted authorities again to clarify the information on the voicemail but the reports or flyers were never updated and stated that “Vladek was last seen walking into the woods” for several months even after the family asked for corrections.

Bethany requested surveillance footage from the Place at Alafaya on November 18th. Unfortunately, footage from the last 7 days was all they had available, and the complex promised to review footage from two security cameras, releasing it only to law enforcement upon request.

Bethany relayed this information to law enforcement but over a week later, it was “still on their list” of action items in Vlad’s disappearance. Any footage that would have been there would no longer be.

Searches were conducted in the dense wooded area behind the basketball court, along with the larger wooded area surrounding the apartment complex involving helicopters, drones, and a K9 search dog.

Deputies discovered a red slide shoe along the tree line of the larger wooded area during the search. However, subsequent searches using thermal scans and the search dog yielded no results. The family continued their efforts, posting flyers, canvassing the neighborhood, and seeking information from the community. When officials showed Steve a picture of the shoe found, Steve said those are the types of shoes Vladek wears but was unsure of Vlad had red ones. The shoe was sent off for DNA testing.

Flyers were hung in unhoused community shelters, all along University Boulevard and Alafaya Trail area that Vlad regularly walked. They even had officers check out the Catholic Church prayer garden to see if he had sought refuge there.

Night Owl Reconnaissance attempted to access Vlad's PlayStation and YouTube accounts, but access was not granted.

On November 20th, Sheriff's deputies went door-to-door canvassing, a friend of Vladek in the neighborhood came forward. This friend disclosed a perplexing encounter with Vladek at 3 am on November 15. Vlad, seeking a place to stay, was turned away due to the friend's girlfriend and family being present. In a tense exchange, Vlad seemed uneasy, and asked if the friend had a gun. Due to a criminal record, the friend couldn't legally own a firearm. Vlad's anxiety heightened, leading him to express a desire to "go off the grid" and a need for a gun for protection against an animal.

This raised questions about where Vlad’s mindset may have been.

As investigations heightened, the family received the help of a private investigator who was able to put together some of the pieces of the puzzle for the family.

They were able to consolidate a bit of the timeline for Vlad’s disappearance. After Steve left for Tennessee, Vlad had called his sister Irena around 2am. Irena said the two had a normal conversation as they did almost every day.

The package was delivered on November 8th, and left outside of the apartment until Steve’s return 7 days later.

November 12 is when the maintenance man said he thought he saw Vladek at the basketball courts. And then November 15th is when the neighbor is saying Vlad showed up at his door at 3am.

On November 20, Bethany was asked to not post anymore updates on her personal facebook because it could hinder an investigation.

That is all the information the family had up until that point. They continued to search the areas and hand out flyers. Vlad was memorable because of his friendliness and willingness to have a conversation.

November 24th, Jodi posted about the colder weather and how clean of a person Vladek was. He was always washing his hands and likely wouldn’t stay somewhere without plumbing. He would have wanted a shower by now.

OCSO did not conduct media interviews or provide any sort of information to the media to help keep Vladek’s disappearance in front of the media for others to also keep an eye out.

In December 2021, Bethany and Jodi started the Find Bryan Vladek Hasel Facebook group to keep pushing to find their brother.

It wouldn’t be until February 24 2022 that the Sheriff’s office finally gave Vladek’s family an update. They were given Vladek’s flip phone and Steve’s laptop back and said they hadn’t spoken with any of the people in Vladek’s phone because they thought the family had already done so. Law enforcement also said they couldn’t get the laptop to turn on so they didn’t go through it either. The laptop worked but the battery no longer held a charge and it required to be plugged into the outlet for it to power on.

The family also learned that the DNA testing from the red slide shoe had returned as inconclusive. It did appear to be the same size as Vlad’s shoe size.

On November 6, 2021, around 8am Vladek walked to Foxtail Coffee where he used his credit card to purchase a cup of coffee. He sat down and this is when Foxtail called the sheriff's office back out to issue the trespassing warning. A sheriff’s officer arrived on site and issued the trespass warning to Vladek, but the officer didn’t tell Vladek Foxtail’s reasoning behind it. They just told him it was a private business and they can trespass you for any reason, like the type of shirt you wear. Vladek was clearly confused by what was happening but he was respectful and showed no ill will towards the business, the officers or the other customers.

He struck up a conversation with the police officers and was pleasant. This conversation was confirmed with body cam footage from the sheriff’s officer.

It was clearly a blow to Vladek’s feelings because he wasn’t sure why he was being treated as a trespasser when he was causing no one harm or discomfort. It was a place he regularly hung out. He also emptied his pockets on the footage and did not have the pocket knife with him. Only a credit card, a debit card, and his ID.

Vladek calmly walked away at 8:26 am in the direction of a Wawa convenience store. This is the last evidence confirming where Vladek was. He was wearing a black hoodie over a gray t-shirt and khaki shorts. Crew length black socks and bright red slide shoes.

At the time of the meeting with OCSO the family didn’t know the details of the trespass warning, the detective working the case stated he was probably receiving the trespass warning for talking too much. This is the first time the family is learning of this footage. When the family asked the OCSO to get footage from the stores in the direction Vladek walked, officials said there was too much footage for them to go through and that it was likely already erased.

By April 9th, the family learns from the owners of the Foxtail more information about the trespassing incident. They gave the family a still photo from their security footage showing Vladek in the same outfit as before. Vlad had told the manager that he was tired and sleep deprived in the past.

They also learned that Vlad had contacted an acquaintance on November 4th around 7pm. They chatted on the phone for around 5 minutes. Vlad appeared happy and asked if he could crash for a night or two. The acquaintance declined saying he wasn’t comfortable with that. The conversation turned to Vlad’s upcoming plans and how he wanted to travel and preach the bible and its teachings originally but he had recently decided to sing instead.

Billboards went up across the county and several news stations covered Vladek’s story after his family consistently expressed their concerns for their brother.

A few tips that Vlad had been seen at a 7 eleven were sent in but those leads turned out to be nothing of importance.

By summer a search organization did a more thorough search of the woods with more dogs and also turned up empty handed.

In September 2022, Steve’s apartment was flooded by Hurricane Ian and most of Vladek’s personal belongings were destroyed. Vladek’s personal bible, childhood passport and a few items of clothing were all that survived. Due to the flooding, the apartment complex also terminated all of the leases of it’s tenants and everyone was required to find new housing. The complex is now abandoned and slated to be eventually demolished.

Just after the one year mark, new detectives were assigned to Vladek’s disappearance. A tip regarding a potential sighting came in stating they saw Vladek talking to an “Older” unhoused person at Wawa after the trespass warning.

On August 4, 2023, the private investigator posted on social media that human remains had been found not far from where Vladek was last seen. Medical examiners would later confirm that they were not Vladek’s remains.

In September 2023, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office issued a renewed call for information regarding Bryan "Vladek" Hasel's disappearance.

Vladek’s family is extremely concerned and miss him terribly. Steve recently revealed his struggles with sleep, constantly seeking solace in prayer to ensure his son's well-being. The family is not opposed to Vladek being on his own they just want to know he is alive, safe, and healthy.

The family urges the public to share Vladek’s missing persons flyer, emphasizing the impact of strangers resharing in reaching potential sources of information.

”Just sharing his face and his story, Um, to as many people as you can is the best thing that we can do, you know, because we have to get the right people to see that he's missing and realize they have some type of information that could be helpful and call the sheriff's office, you know, so That we can so we can make some progress here. You know?

And I'd really like to focus on areas where he used to live,, especially Arlington Because Vladek really He has a lot of fond memories of being there. "

I don't know his friend groups that he had there, so I don't know if he might have reached out to people there. So if you you know of anybody that lives in that area and is willing to post flyers around Arlington, that would be a huge help, or target different Facebook group pages to that area or homeless group pages to that area Just in case, that would be a huge help and just, you know, really sharing his flyer anywhere and everywhere across the country is what it's gonna take because, like I said, I don't think he's here in Orlando. There's been too much coverage for him, And he's always talking with people, and there would have been sightings right now, and there hasn't. But he's somewhere in the United States. His passport had expired, so he's not back in Russia. He's somewhere here, and we just need to locate him, make sure he's okay.”

To stay updated on Vladek’s case, please follow @FINDVLADEKHASEL on social media platforms.

Vladek’s s love and compassion for the unhoused community empowered us to pay it forward with one small random act of kindness that also may reach Vladek and let him know his family is still looking for him and loves him dearly.

If you are in the Arlington Area and would like to distribute flyers, please DM us on any social media platform and we will send you flyers for free.

Bryan "Vladek" Hasel, described as 5’8” with blondish-brown hair and blue eyes, If you have any information please contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Office missing persons unit at 407-254-7000, with case number 21-83864.

Florida : Bryan “Vladek” Hasel

Georgia : Brian Samples

Delaware : Susan Ledyard