A Hollywood special effects producer who went missing on Nov. 24, launching a weeks-long search and tear-filled pleas from his family to find him, revealed on Facebook that he's an addict and thanked everyone who looked for him.
"My name is Eric Kohler and I am an addict," he said in one of the opening paragraphs of his post on Sunday. The post had received 461 likes and 515 shares on Facebook by Monday afternoon.
"The actions that led up to the events unfolding over these past few weeks are not my proudest moments. Addiction is a serious issue that I clearly recognize now," Kohler said.
The 27-year-old visual effects producer, who worked on films such as "The Avengers," "San Andreas," and "X-Men," said he went into a "frenzy" because of high expectations, stress and addiction. He disappeared because of an emotional and physical breakdown, he said.
In the post, Kohler also said that through his "downward spiral" he witnessed a miracle.
"I witnessed support from family, friends, loved ones, co-workers and people I've never even met before," Kohler said. "Individuals from every corner of the country and even across borders united as one to create a support group during a period of my life that I wasn't even aware I needed."
Kohler went missing when he left work on a Tuesday without his wallet, laptop, or bag. He didn't contact his family to let them know of his whereabouts, so they began frantically posting fliers and making their pleas via media outlets to find him.
U.S. & World
He took off from his job in Gardena in his new Range Rover.
Surveillance footage showed he went to a Food 4 Less parking lot, then apparently turned off his phone.
"I know my son would never do this," Sheryi Kohler said in one of the first appearances the family made on TV.
The Los Angeles Police Department said 10 days after he disappeared tha Kohler was found alive in La Paz, Mexico, and was no longer considered a missing person.
Media outlets received concerned pleas from the public to continue looking for Kohler after word that he had turned up in Mexico began circulating.
A Facebook post from his sister published hours before LAPD's announcement that Kohler was found said that Eric was still missing, and police as well as the media were wrong about him being found.
"It is very unfortunate that the local news and other media outlets are running stories that are NOT true," the post from Kristina Loren said. "We have not located Eric! He is not in La Paz Mexico, that photo was a hoax. The authorities are working very hard to find Eric!"
Calls and messages to the family were not returned to NBC4.
After Kohler posted his apology to Facebook Sunday, Loren said on the social media site that she was incredibly proud of her brother for writing the post.
NBC4 has reached out once again after the news of Kohler's Facebook post, but the family has not responded.
