An 83-year-old Jefferson County man who vanished from his home Thursday evening has been found safe, according to an early Friday morning update from local law enforcement. Benjamin Brewer was last seen leaving a home in the 10400 block of West Cooper Place between 6 and 7 p.m., prompting deputies to ask the public for help tracking him down.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office posted the update on Facebook early Friday, confirming Brewer had been located and was safe. His disappearance had drawn attention Thursday night after The Denver Post reported that law enforcement had asked for the public's assistance locating him. Brewer, who has trouble remembering things and difficulty driving at night, was believed to be driving a white Buick with Tennessee license plate BBT5254.
Deputies had not indicated that Brewer carries a formal diagnosis of dementia or another cognitive condition, even as they flagged his memory troubles and night-driving difficulty as safety concerns. That distinction matters under Colorado law: a formal Senior Citizen Alert, created by the state legislature under Senate Bill 06-057, requires that a missing person be at least 60 years old, missing in Colorado, verified by law enforcement to have an impaired mental condition, and facing a credible threat to safety, per the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Why Some Cases Skip the Formal Senior Alert
When someone shows warning signs of memory trouble but lacks a documented diagnosis, agencies often turn to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's Endangered Missing Alert protocol instead, which is built for missing persons who face evident safety risks without meeting the statutory bar for a Senior Citizen Alert. When either type of alert is activated, the state agency distributes notifications to participating radio and television stations statewide, and the Colorado Department of Transportation can post vehicle details on highway message signs.
The stakes behind that infrastructure are significant. Roughly six in ten people living with cognitive decline or memory impairment will wander away from safety at least once, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Medical research further shows that 72% of missing seniors with cognitive impairment who are recovered alive are found within the first 24 hours, with those odds dropping to 51% by the second day and just 20% after 48 hours.
A Familiar Pattern in Jefferson County
Brewer's case follows a recent string of similar incidents across the county. On August 11, an 83-year-old woman with dementia went missing in south Jefferson County and was found safe roughly two hours after deputies issued a public bulletin asking for help tracking her vehicle. Days earlier, on August 7, a 75-year-old woman with cognitive decline was located safe near Littleton within hours after a neighbor recognized her from a sheriff's office warning.
Those quick resolutions point to a pattern in the county: rapid public notification paired with community tips, often through social media, tends to bring missing seniors home safely within hours rather than days. Not every regional case ends as quickly — a Thornton veteran, 81, went missing for days earlier this month, with his vehicle eventually found in Hudson without him.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office routes non-emergency calls and public tips through Jeffcom Dispatch at 303-980-7300, which serves the county's unincorporated areas while incorporated municipalities maintain their own police departments. The office's Victim Services Unit, housed within its Criminal Investigations Division, also provides 24-hour crisis intervention support for families navigating missing persons cases and other traumatic emergencies.
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