An 81-year-old Thornton man has been missing since Wednesday morning, and his grey Toyota Corolla turned up more than a day later, some 25 miles away in rural Hudson, without him inside. Robert “Bobby” Crespin was last seen leaving his Thornton residence around 8 a.m. Wednesday wearing a purple shirt and blue jeans, and authorities say he is without the medication he requires and may be confused.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation issued a statewide Senior Alert for Crespin, according to a post from CBI on Thursday evening. His 2019 grey Corolla, bearing Colorado license plate DVJ-T28 and a Purple Heart specialty plate, was last known to be near Main Street and Dahlia Street in Hudson at 1:25 p.m. Thursday. Hudson sits roughly 25 miles northeast of Thornton along the Interstate 76 corridor, according to MapSof, tracing a route that stretches from the Adams County suburb into rural Weld County. It remains unclear whether the vehicle was moving under its own power or already parked when it was spotted.
Crespin is described as a white male, 5 feet 1 inch tall and 130 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. His car's Purple Heart plate points to military service — under Colorado law, the specialty plate is issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue only to veterans who submit official discharge paperwork proving they were awarded the Purple Heart. Purple Heart plate holders in Colorado also receive registration fee exemptions and free year-round access to all 42 state parks, according to MyArmyBenefits.
Why the State Stepped In
Colorado's Senior Alert system, created in 2006, can only be activated when a missing person is at least 60 years old, disappeared within Colorado, has a verified mental impairment confirmed by local law enforcement, and faces a credible threat to their safety. Those criteria appear to have been met in Crespin's case, since the alert notes he may be confused and is currently without his required medication. Once triggered, CBI broadcasts the missing person's information to television and radio stations statewide, and the Colorado Department of Transportation can display a vehicle's license plate on highway electronic message signs.
The Senior Alert program sits within a broader set of seven statewide emergency notification categories that CBI manages, including AMBER Alerts, Endangered Missing/Media Alerts, and Developmental Disabilities Alerts, the latter added in 2007 to cover missing individuals of any age with a documented developmental disability. Thornton's location along the I-25 and I-76 corridors typically allows Adams County law enforcement to coordinate quickly with neighboring jurisdictions like Weld County during searches like this one.
Time-Sensitive Search Continues
Medical research cited in a Hoodline report on a similar Jefferson County case found that roughly 60% of people with cognitive impairment wander away from safety at least once, and survival odds drop significantly after the first 24 to 48 hours due to dehydration, exposure, and missed medication. That timeline underscores the urgency facing searchers, since Crespin has now been missing for well over a day and is reportedly without the medicine he needs.
Anyone who spots Crespin or his vehicle is asked to call 911 or the Thornton Police Department at 720-977-5150. CBI has also directed the public to its alerts page at cbi.colorado.gov/alerts for updates. Hoodline has previously covered other Colorado Senior Alert cases that were resolved quickly, including an 83-year-old found safe in two hours in Jefferson County earlier this month.
