Elderly Rohnert Park couple missing under mysterious circumstances

The disappearance of an elderly Rohnert Park couple, missing from their home since the weekend has puzzled police and family members, with the mystery deepening Tuesday after they missed some key meetings and also withdrew a large amount of cash from their bank account a day after leaving.

Rohnert Park police, attempting to track Sam and Maria Walko, were searching in the Healdsburg area the day after learning they were at a Healdsburg bank late Monday afternoon and withdrew the cash, according to Sgt. Jeff Justice, who did not disclose the amount.

The pair told a bank clerk they were headed for a medical appointment for Maria Walko but there was no record of their having been to a Kaiser medical facility after the 4 p.m. bank stop, Justice said.

The new information about the bank appearance came to light Tuesday. Why they were pulling out the cash and where they went from there wasn’t known.

Szabolcs “Sam” Walko, 85, and Maria Walko, 90, have been gone for a couple of days, with no known reason for leaving.

The couple’s house was in escrow and they had talked about moving after the sale, but it wasn’t final.

The couple missed a scheduled meeting with their real estate agent as well as the moving company Tuesday.

“There’s no reason for us to suspect foul play at this time. There’s no indication of anything at the house, or from them going to the bank,” Justice said.

At the same time, he acknowledged “anything is possible until we can get in touch and find out for sure everything is OK and there’s no problem they or their family have to worry about.”

They were seen Saturday after a 4:10 a.m. 911 call to their home about a possible medical issue for Maria Walko. By the time officers and paramedics arrived, she was feeling better and the couple then said they would get her to their doctor on their own.

Their son, who resides in Hungary, also was contacted about his mother and he said he’d follow up with them, Justice said.

Sunday, the son called police to say he couldn’t reach his parents.

Justice asked anyone who sees the couple or their faded green 2001 Toyota Camry, with a license plate of 4NHV446 to contact officers at 584-2600.