Exclusive

Source: Nick Stahl Has "Gone Missing Before," but Never for This Long

Family insider exclusively tells E! News that the actor had been having a rough couple of months and it's a "constant struggle" for him to stay sober

By Natalie Finn, Melanie Bromley May 17, 2012 10:03 PMTags
Nick Stahl Lisa O'Connor/ZUMA Press

Nick Stahl had exhibited signs of "inner turmoil" before his wife reported him missing—and his family isn't giving up on the Terminator: Rise of the Machines star.

"He has been having a tough time for a couple of months," a source close to the actor exclusively tells E! News. "He's an incredible individual, an amazing father—but addiction is something he has always struggled with."

And, the source adds, this isn't the first time Stahl has seemingly disappeared.

"He has gone missing for a day before," the source tells us, "but never longer than that. He always gets in touch. This is the longest time he has been away. He doesn't have a cell phone on him, so there is no way to contact him."

Witnesses confirmed to E! News yesterday that they had seen the Carnivale star helping a friend move at a West Hollywood apartment building last week. In the missing-person report his wife, Rose, filed on Monday, she stated that she last saw him on May 9.

Stahl and his estranged wife have a 2-year-old daughter, Marlo. Roseann filed court documents in February insisting that her husband only be allowed supervised visits with their child and that he undergo regular drug testing.

"He works so hard at staying sober, but it's a constant struggle," the source says. "He has been to skid row [in downtown Los Angeles] before and that's why the police are looking there. Everyone just wants him to come home."

LAPD officers have been showing Stahl's photo around the skid-row neighborhood and asking locals to keep an eye out. Foul play is not suspected at this time, according to police.