An 80-year-old Phoenix man diagnosed with dementia has been found dead more than three months after he vanished while supposedly running out to buy cigarettes, authorities announced Tuesday. Stanley Avelos left his home near Carefree Highway and 7th Avenue on June 10, driving a white 2015 Chevrolet Silverado, and was last reported driving eastbound on Olive Avenue near 47th Avenue.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office confirmed Avelos had died, according to KTAR News, though authorities have not released details about the cause of his death. Avelos was last seen driving eastbound on Olive Avenue near 47th Avenue shortly before 9:15 a.m. that day, roughly two hours after he left home, per the same report.
How Investigators Traced His Final Hours
Arizona's Department of Public Safety, in its original missing-person bulletin, said Avelos left a note stating he was leaving to buy cigarettes and described his truck in the bulletin, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Automated license plate reader cameras run by Flock Safety tracked his truck that morning, the department noted.
Avelos was the subject of a SAFE Alert issued June 10, the day he disappeared. SAFE Alerts, short for Seek and Find Emergency Alert, replaced Arizona's former Silver Alert system and are used to spread information about missing people age 65 and older, as well as those with dementia or developmental or cognitive disabilities. The alert was later canceled.
A Law Built to Prevent Delay
Arizona's SAFE Alert framework was signed into law under House Bill 2894 during the 2025 legislative session and officially launched on September 26, 2025, replacing the state's older Silver Alert statute, per the Arizona Legislature. Under the law, agencies are explicitly barred from delaying or denying a SAFE Alert once qualifying criteria are met, and police departments must undergo mandatory notification training every two years, the Arizona Department of Public Safety says. When an alert goes statewide, the department broadcasts details across 193 highway overhead dynamic message boards, alongside wireless emergency alerts and law enforcement bulletins, according to a video published by 12News.
The state's alert system also includes AMBER Alerts for abducted children, Blue Alerts tied to attacks on officers, and Turquoise Alerts, introduced in July 2025 for endangered people under 65, the Office of the Governor of Arizona has said.
A Rare and Tragic Outcome
Before its expansion into the SAFE Alert system, Arizona's Silver Alert program held a 98% historical success rate in safely locating missing individuals, with most disoriented adults recovered within 18 hours of activation, according to Axios Phoenix. Avelos' three-month disappearance stands as a stark departure from that track record.
The stakes behind that statistic are severe. Roughly 60% of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or dementia will wander away from home at least once, according to data compiled by the Alzheimer's Association and cited by the Cleveland Clinic.
Camera Technology Faces Local Scrutiny
The Flock Safety cameras that tracked Avelos' truck on the morning he vanished have been used by Arizona law enforcement agencies. But that same technology has raised privacy concerns.
Families caring for relatives at risk of wandering also have access to voluntary local registries meant to speed up identification during emergencies. Phoenix's First Responder Smart Notifications lets families pre-register disoriented or non-verbal relatives, according to the Autism Society of Greater Phoenix.
Hoodline has previously covered several other SAFE Alert cases in the Phoenix area this year, including a search for 74-year-old Martin Lopez near 25th Avenue. Investigators have not said where Avelos' body or truck were ultimately located, nor whether foul play is suspected, leaving key questions about his final months unresolved.
