Late Monday afternoon, a partial set of skeletal remains was discovered in Queens, which are believed to be those of a nurse who vanished in 2021, according to his sorrowful wife.
Richard “Max” Albright, a 69-year-old nurse at the Hospital for Special Surgery, was last seen leaving his home in Jackson Heights on Oct. 14, 2021.
His wife, Cathy Albright, said that police told her the remains recovered near a strip mall in College Point were positively linked to her husband.
“I’m shocked, but I’m also very glad. The not knowing is the hardest part. It’s been almost four years,” she told PIX11 News.
So far, the NYPD and the medical examiner have not officially identified the human skull, hip, and leg bones found, stating that the case remains under investigation.
Cathy, though, is holding on to hope that the grueling saga of grieving the unknown will come to a close soon.
“I knew he had passed, but to have his remains and to know what happened is really what I want,” she told the outlet.
Cathy said that police found a wallet near the remains that belonged to Richard.
She firmly believes that there was no foul play and that her husband had a medical episode after leaving their home.
Richard was on blood thinners after undergoing three open heart surgeries shortly before his disappearance, Cathy told the outlet in 2021.
His wife recounted that on the day Richard last left their home, he was complaining about foot pain and ended up shuffling around in a pair of slider slippers.
Cathy pursued every avenue possible in an attempt to locate her husband, including hiring a private investigator who found that Richard had bought a 30-day Metro card and took a public bus on the day he went missing.
The pair were happily married for 23 years.
They originally met when they both worked at a newspaper in Texas and moved to New York City after getting hitched.
After moving, Richard made the career switch to nursing and held the same position at the Hospital for Special Surgery for 16 years.
Richard was last seen wearing khaki pants, a red shirt and a pair of slippers.
