Nonprofit organization asks for public's help in finding missing ghost bike

A local nonprofit is hoping you can help them find a missing ghost bike. There are nearly 40 in Bernalillo County.

“They bring awareness to the dual nature of our roads, that we have cyclists and motorists,” said Jennifer Buntz, president of the nonprofit Duke City Wheelmen, which runs the ghost bike program.

Behind every ghost bike, there is a story.

“We place these bikes at the request of a friend or family member after a cyclist dies on the road,” Buntz said.

Each bike has a name on the frame, as well as a year of birth and the year of the person's death.

“It’s a very meaningful thing for family and friends to be able to place a ghost bike and it’s a small step on the path to healing from the tragedy,” Buntz said.

But Buntz says one of those ghost bikes is missing, and she doesn't know which one — or where it is.

“We can’t determine what site it may have been stolen from, so we need help,” she said. “We need help identifying this location.”

The mystery began last week. She received a call from a man saying a homeless man was carrying a ghost bike on the Rio Grande near Paseo.

“There was some of the equipment we use, but it didn’t have tires,” Buntz said. “A white bike without tires and that looked a lot like a ghost bike.”

The caller said they asked the homeless man to drop him off and told Buntz where he was. But when she arrived to transport him, he was missing.

“We don’t know if that same person came back or if someone else came back,” she said.

Buntz said sometimes people steal the bikes, thinking they can be used.

“They don’t have any parts except the bare minimum to make it look like a bike,” she said. “There are no brakes, no gears, no tires.”

No Buntz's mission is not to find this bike, for the loved ones of the person it represents.

The caller couldn't see the name on the frame, but Buntz hopes the community can help. If you see one where you know it doesn't belong, or notice one missing from your daily route, she wants you to call her at 505-306-1443.

She hopes the bike will be replaced as quickly as possible for the victim and his family.