Cincinnati police are searching for a 76-year-old man with dementia who was last seen in Avondale on September 10, 2026. Michael White, described as standing 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 190 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, is considered an endangered missing adult.
The alert, issued by the Cincinnati Police Department
, notes that White is known to frequent a Kroger store in North College Hill. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Dawson.
Why Old Addresses and Familiar Stores Matter
A familiar store may be relevant in a dementia-related search. According to medical experts at Miami Jewish Health, wandering in dementia patients is frequently driven by a desire to fulfill deeply ingrained past routines, such as traveling to a former residence, old job, or long-frequented store, or by seeking out familiar surroundings stored in long-term memory.
The alert mentions a North College Hill Kroger that White is known to frequent.
A Search for White
White's case has drawn an appeal for public help from Cincinnati Police District Four in finding a senior with dementia.
Nationally, the scale of the problem is significant. According to the Alzheimer's Association, cited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, roughly 60% of people living with dementia or Alzheimer's disease will wander away from home or care environments at least once during their illness. That statistic frames facility walkaways like White's not as a rare event but as a recurring clinical hazard that families and care facilities are forced to confront.
Racing Against the Clock
Time matters enormously in these cases. The Cleveland Clinic outlines risks associated with dementia-related wandering, including danger and disorientation.
That urgency is compounded by a quirk of Ohio's alert system. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 5502.522, an Endangered Missing Adult Alert can be requested by local law enforcement and activated through the Ohio Attorney General's office when a missing individual is 65 or older or mentally impaired and the disappearance carries a credible threat of immediate danger of serious physical harm or death, per the Ohio Association of Broadcasters. Unlike AMBER Alerts for missing children, these adult alerts do not trigger the loud Wireless Emergency Alert sounds on cellphones or activate the Emergency Alert System. Instead, they rely on social media, email, text messages, fax, and broadcasts by participating stations, which is why public sharing and local news coverage play such an outsized role in these searches.
The Ohio Attorney General's office activates the Endangered Missing Adult Alert program. Cincinnati police are urging anyone who spots White to contact Detective Dawson.
