A 91-year-old Hialeah man was last seen Friday around noon after walking away from a local hospital. Gilberto Munoz was last seen leaving Hialeah Hospital around noon, telling his wife he was heading home to get food. Police found him safe and sound on Saturday.
According to WSVN, police found Munoz safe and sound on Saturday. Hialeah Hospital, located at 651 East 25th Street, operates a 378-bed acute care facility with a specialized Senior Emergency Room and an Acute Care for the Elderly unit, according to Wikipedia.
Police found Munoz safe and sound on Saturday.
Why Time Matters in Dementia-Related Disappearances
Cases like Munoz's carry heightened urgency because of what medical research shows about wandering behavior. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that 60% of people living with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia will wander at least once during the course of their condition, often stemming from disorientation or attempts to carry out past daily routines, per the Alzheimer's Association. Research cited by the organization further indicates that up to 50% of missing individuals with dementia who wander and are not located within 24 hours suffer serious injury or death.
Miami-Dade County ranks among the regions with the highest estimated rates of Alzheimer's disease in the country, according to a 2025 report from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Hialeah itself illustrates why: U.S. Census Bureau estimates put 20.3% of the city's population, representing more than 45,800 residents, at 65 or older, making it one of the cities with the highest concentrations of senior residents in the country.
State and Local Resources Available to Find Him
Whether a Silver Alert applies to Munoz's case is unclear. Under state protocol, local law enforcement agencies can issue regional alerts and request statewide dynamic highway message signs when a missing person aged 60 or older has a verified cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer's, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The plan was established by executive order in October 2008 and later codified into state law, and between its creation and late 2023, Florida agencies activated more than 3,200 Silver Alerts statewide, leading to over 300 direct safe recoveries, according to Villages-News.
The Hialeah Police Department holds accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, a distinction held by roughly 5% of police departments nationwide, according to the Hialeah Police Department.
This is not the first time Hialeah police have appealed to the public over a missing elderly resident. Hoodline previously covered a similar search for a 78-year-old man in 2024. Munoz was found safe on Saturday.
