Third anniversary of ‘Mickey’ Brougham’s disappearance marked by blood drive in Belchertown

BELCHERTOWN — Three years ago, on June 25, 2010, 54-year-old Michael R. “Mickey” Brougham was seen driving through Belchertown in his pickup truck.



Two days later, Brougham’s wallet, watch and cell phone were found at the New Hampshire International Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. The Belchertown man has not been seen since.



On Saturday, Brougham’s family will hold a blood drive in his honor at the Chestnut Hill Community School in Belchertown.



“Mickey was an active blood donor — it’s a way of honoring him,” said his sister Cindy Brown of Belchertown. “Last year 65 units of blood were donated. We’re hoping to get at least that or more this year.”



The family hopes publicity generated by the blood drive will encourage people to come forward with information about Brougham’s disappearance, which remains under investigation by police.



Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne confirmed that the disappearance is considered an active missing person’s case. He said his office continues to conduct interviews and pursue leads.



He said officials suspect foul play was involved in Brougham’s disappearance.



“People don’t just vanish out of the blue,” said Gagne. “We consider it presumptively suspicious — potentially a case of foul play.”



Difficult anniversary



This is the second year the family has held a blood drive in Brougham’s honor. “It’s hard to mark each year without having something positive come from it,” said Brown.



Brown last saw her brother a few days before he disappeared. When asked about clues found at the racetrack, Brown said, “We’re not sure he went. He was a Nascar fan, but he always let family members know he was going, because he was single. He spoke to our mother and father the day before and didn’t say anything about it.”



Brown said her brother usually went to the races with other Nascar fans, none of whom reported seeing him at the race that day. Brown believes the items may have been planted there to mislead investigators.



The last person to see Brougham alive was his nephew, Adam Brougham, a police officer in Belchertown. Brougham’s nephew was directing traffic in Belchertown when he saw his uncle pass by in his truck. The truck and Brougham’s motorcycle were later found at Brougham’s home, along with the medication he needed to manage his diabetes.



Brown said the family has theories about what happened but declines to disclose them, saying it could jeopardize the investigation. According to Brown, police continue to receive tips regarding the investigation. The family requests that any information the public can provide be directed to the police.



Official investigation



Gagne, who works in the Northwestern district attorney’s office under David E. Sullivan, has been overseeing the case since assuming his position in January 2011.



On whether the office believes Brougham is still alive, Gagne said: “We certainly hope so. It can happen — we’ve seen that in Ohio — people turning up after being missing for years.”



Gagne encourages anyone with information about Brougham’s disappearance to contact authorities. People can call the DA’s office at 586-9225 or use TEXT-A-TIP, an anonymous service. Anyone wishing to send an anonymous tip should text 274637 (crimes) and begin the message with “PROTECT.”



The blood drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Chestnut Hill Community School. Sponsored by the Brougham family, the drive is hosted by the Pioneer Valley chapter of the American Red Cross. Appointments are preferred, though walk-ins will be taken. They may be scheduled by calling (800) 733-2767. Donors will have their names entered in a drawing for a $200 Stop & Shop card donated by the family.



For more information on the disappearance, visit http://mickybrougham.com/.









