It has been about 36 hours since my grandfather went missing.
He is very old (89) and very frail. He lives in a nursing home, and has lived there for about 6 years now. My grandmother died exactly 2 years ago and he's been on his own since, and very lonely, which is not surprising. We made sure that he is in a nursing home build on very extensive (landscaped) property, because he always had an interest in botany and liked to take three (and exactly three) walks a day.
Every few weekends in the summer, my aunt would take him to her family's cottage, which he loved a lot. He was suffering from dementia but did have moments of absolute clarity. They took him this weekend, and as they were finishing up the BBQ, he went on his usual walk around their large vineyard. He has done this probably several dozen times. Except this time, he didn't come back. He was probably missing for about 60 minutes before they went looking for him. Initially they we not that concerned because he is a very slow walker, so it always took him a while to finish his walk around the vineyard.
When they couldn't find him for another hour or two, they called the police. The search began with about a half a dozen men and dogs. They had to call it off at 1 am due to darkness.
The area is very remote - typical cottage country. No major bodies of water around, and it is pretty flat, though some parts are heavily wooded. The search resumed in the morning but now it has been another day and he has still not been found. Today there were about 30 search and rescue people there, and the dogs were back as well. They drained a couple of small pools next to dams which are deep enough that a person could have drowned, but did not find him. They also checked all the cottages in the vicinity to see if maybe one of them had been left unlocked and he was in it. The other concern is that he may have made it as far as the main road and somebody picked him up or a car may have even hit him and then in a panic concealed the body. All the hospitals have been contacted, and nobody matching his description has been found.
He has had no food, no water for a day and a half. And none of his meds. He has no money and no ID either.
It is the worst feeling that I have ever had. As if he just vanished into thin air.
He is very old (89) and very frail. He lives in a nursing home, and has lived there for about 6 years now. My grandmother died exactly 2 years ago and he's been on his own since, and very lonely, which is not surprising. We made sure that he is in a nursing home build on very extensive (landscaped) property, because he always had an interest in botany and liked to take three (and exactly three) walks a day.
Every few weekends in the summer, my aunt would take him to her family's cottage, which he loved a lot. He was suffering from dementia but did have moments of absolute clarity. They took him this weekend, and as they were finishing up the BBQ, he went on his usual walk around their large vineyard. He has done this probably several dozen times. Except this time, he didn't come back. He was probably missing for about 60 minutes before they went looking for him. Initially they we not that concerned because he is a very slow walker, so it always took him a while to finish his walk around the vineyard.
When they couldn't find him for another hour or two, they called the police. The search began with about a half a dozen men and dogs. They had to call it off at 1 am due to darkness.
The area is very remote - typical cottage country. No major bodies of water around, and it is pretty flat, though some parts are heavily wooded. The search resumed in the morning but now it has been another day and he has still not been found. Today there were about 30 search and rescue people there, and the dogs were back as well. They drained a couple of small pools next to dams which are deep enough that a person could have drowned, but did not find him. They also checked all the cottages in the vicinity to see if maybe one of them had been left unlocked and he was in it. The other concern is that he may have made it as far as the main road and somebody picked him up or a car may have even hit him and then in a panic concealed the body. All the hospitals have been contacted, and nobody matching his description has been found.
He has had no food, no water for a day and a half. And none of his meds. He has no money and no ID either.
It is the worst feeling that I have ever had. As if he just vanished into thin air.
I am so sorry to see this, I am praying for his safe return.
Many thoughts and prayers for his safe return. 
