With the help of friends and family, Tyler Goodrich's name and face has become known all over Lincoln.
Strangers set up search parties, family and friends hosted a vigil. His face smiles from billboards, flyers and lawn signs in an attempt to try and find a man that most of the 13,000 members of the Let’s Find Tyler Goodrich Facebook group have never met.Ìý
Since he was reported missing on Nov. 4, immense concern and attention has been placed on finding the 35-year-old. Some may be able to recite details about Goodrich, like his birthday being April 2, 1988, or that he was 6-foot-1-inches tall and weighed 185 pounds, as a flyer about his disappearance states.Ìý
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He was last seen around 7:40 p.m. on Nov. 3 at his home on the 1000 block of West Burnham Street by his husband, Marshall Vogel, after a domestic disturbance between the two. The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office investigated the incident and found no crime had occurred.Ìý
His friends and family want others to know about the thoughtful boy who became a caring adult. He is the loving father to two children whom he adopted with his husband. He's athletic, confident and challenged himself regularly.Ìý
“He always had short red hair and freckles,†Lonnie Goodrich said about his son as a younger boy. “And back then, he was a little bit more chubby.â€
One Friday when he was in elementary school, Tyler came home and asked his father if they could bake cookies for the cooks, who made them for students every day. “It's time we make cookies for (them),†a young Tyler Goodrich told his father.
“That's who he is, and that never changed,†Lonnie Goodrich said this past week in an interview with the Journal Star.
Tyler Goodrich has three sisters and one brother. Three of his siblings come from another marriage after his mother and father divorced. But the family doesn't use the word "step" to describe their relationships.
He grew up playing T-ball and baseball. He golfed in junior high and played basketball in high school along with running cross country, Lonnie Goodrich said.Ìý
Tyler Goodrich attended Bennet Elementary and Palmyra Jr.-Sr. High School, the school district where his father has worked as a teacher for decades.Ìý
Amanda Meyer has been a friend of Tyler Goodrich since they were in grade school.Ìý
"And I will never forget the time that I was running from Tyler, and I jumped off the monkey bars and knocked the wind out of myself,†Meyer said.Ìý
An active kid who grew up before smartphones and streaming services, Tyler's father said he appreciated being outside.
“Never a sit-in-front-of-the-TV kind of kid,†Lonnie Goodrich said. “He was always outside playing and always loved the outdoors.â€
Family and friends admired Tyler Goodrich for his determination. If people questioned his ability to do something, it increased his resolve.
“When Tyler put his mind to something, he would get it done,†sister Felicia Nichelson said.
To earn a master's degree, it typically takes two years of schooling, but Tyler Goodrich earned his this year in just 14 weeks. “He's confident in his decisions,†Nichelson said. “He loved to be able to brag.â€
“That's Tyler, always a finisher,†said Lonnie Goodrich. "He didn't start it if he wasn't going to finish it; he was just that kind of guy.â€
Tyler Goodrich considered enlisting in the Army, but decided it was not for him.ÌýBut with a continuing urge to serve, he enlisted with the National Guard.Ìý
“He's always trying to challenge himself,†Meyer said. “I think joining the military was something that he felt was going to push him into different challenges.â€
Tyler Goodrich was in his 20s when he came out about his sexuality to those close to him.
“That's probably the only time I've really felt Tyler carried a lot of fear is when he decided to let somebody else know,†Meyer said.
Tyler Goodrich most recently worked for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, where his family and friends say he was highly respected.Ìý
“Tyler, and I used to go out to the bars all the time when we were younger,†Meyer said. “We would have run-ins with former inmates. Not one had an issue with him. Half of them would come up to him and just want to chat.â€
Lonnie Goodrich said he met one of Tyler's co-workers who said Tyler treated every inmate with respect and dignity.
"He was well-liked in the department because everyone knew that Tyler was looking out for them.â€