A 65-year-old Gastonia man who walked away from a local hospital without a vehicle a week ago has been found. James Morris was last seen leaving a medical facility last Thursday, setting off a search that stretched across seven days before authorities confirmed Thursday that he had been located.
The WCNC reported that Morris had last been seen leaving CaroMont Regional Medical Center at 2500 Court Drive in Gastonia on August 13, without a vehicle. The Gastonia Fire Department confirmed the update on Facebook, posting a Missing Person Update: LOCATED notice Thursday afternoon. Before he was found, police described Morris as a white male standing 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing approximately 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Gastonia Police had asked the public to help locate Morris while he remained missing, directing anyone with information to call the department at 704-866-6702 and request Detective D. Whitlock. Gaston County Communications was also listed as a point of contact for tips related to the case. It remains unclear where Morris was during the week he was missing or what condition he was in when he was found, and it has not been confirmed whether a formal statewide Silver Alert was activated during the search.
How Gastonia Police Handle Missing Adult Cases
Missing person cases and unattended adult investigations in Gastonia are typically directed through the police department's Criminal Investigations Unit, which operates within the department's Investigations and Support Services Division, according to the City of Gastonia. That structure is part of why cases like Morris's move quickly from an initial report to a public appeal for help, as detectives coordinate leads while patrol officers and outside agencies watch for sightings.
Gastonia's location adds another layer to these searches. The city sits in Gaston County roughly 25 to 30 miles north of the South Carolina state border, a fact Hoodline previously reported makes multi-jurisdictional cooperation and regional travel tracking key components of missing person investigations in the area. Gastonia Police also integrate automated Flock license plate reader cameras with the department's Real Time Crime Center, cross-referencing passing vehicle tags against state and national Silver Alert databases as part of routine search efforts.
What Silver Alerts Cover Under State Law
Under North Carolina public safety criteria, Silver Alerts can be activated for missing individuals of any age who are reported to law enforcement and believed to suffer from dementia or another cognitive impairment, per the NC Center for Missing Persons. It has not been confirmed whether that criteria applied in Morris's case or whether a formal alert was issued on his behalf. State law enforcement agencies activated 288 Silver Alerts statewide in 2025, according to the center's data, with white adults comprising the highest total number of missing adult reports across North Carolina that year.
Of those 288 alerts, 167 individuals went missing from private residences, while 11 missing individuals were ultimately recovered deceased, the same data shows. National research compiled by the Ashanti Alert Network indicates roughly 60% of individuals with cognitive impairments or dementia wander at least once, and at least half face serious injury or death if they remain missing for longer than 24 hours — underscoring why authorities move fast once a vulnerable adult can't be located. State law also authorizes agencies to deploy specialized equipment, including drones, during searches for missing persons when swift action is needed to eliminate imminent danger to life, under North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 15A.
More than 10,000 adults and children are reported missing to the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons each year, and the agency maintains a toll-free, 24-hour hotline that local departments can tap into for cases like this one. Morris's case joins a string of recent Gastonia searches for missing residents, including a search-and-rescue effort in Belmont earlier this month. For now, the update from Gastonia Fire Department and confirmation via WCNC bring a close to the search, though questions about where Morris spent the week and his condition upon being found remain unanswered.
