Man making long-distance bike trip missing after Knightdale stop

Richard Moreau, 66, was last seen on Sept. 17 when he left a Verizon store located at 6807 Knightdale Blvd. He was riding a green bicycle and wearing a black and gray helmet, red riding gloves, black sneakers, and shorts and a t-shirt.

The grandfather of six was pursuing his lifelong dream of bicycling from Massachusetts to Florida. He left North Attleboro, Mass., on Aug. 26 with few belongings and had been checking in with his family daily.

"He's checked in. He's checked in regularly. He's checked in daily," said Moreau's step-daughter Kelly Erskine.

Moreau carried a small tent with him and on some nights throughout his journey he camped in the woods but on other nights he would stay in a hotel.

Police said that on the evening of Sept. 17, Moreau stopped at the Verizon store to pick up a new cell phone and contacted his wife. He told her that he was near Wendell and was planning to camp out, but the battery in the phone was low. that was the last time the family heard from him.

"He is a wonderful man, he was a family man," said Erskine. "We are just praying he is safe."

Family members said that Moreau had been planning his trip for months by training and researching his route.

"This is the first time he was that far off of where he was originally intending," said Moreau's son Ryan Moreau.

Ryan Moreau drove from his home in Florida to the Triangle to find his father.

"It's just hard to know where to start," said Ryan Moreau. "But we are starting here because we know he was here."

His bicycling route should have been taking him along U.S. Highway 1. Ryan Moreau said his father was off his planned route when he stopped in Knightdale, making the search for him even more difficult.

"Where was he last and where would he likely be headed to to meet back up with the path," said Ryan Moreau.

Anybody with information about Moreau’s whereabouts is asked to call Knightdale police at 919-217-2261 or dial 911.