An 89-year-old Santa Rosa man with Alzheimer's disease who vanished for nearly 24 hours has been found safe, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. Mac Pham was located around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, and officials thanked people who called with information.
Pham was last seen around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday near Rodeo Lane and Santa Rosa Avenue, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. Officials later reported him missing. As KRON4 reported, Pham stands 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 120 pounds.
A Race Against the Clock
Once the disappearance was reported, the California Highway Patrol activated a regional Silver Alert on behalf of Sonoma County deputies to provide information to the public, as reported by SFGate. The alert system stems from California Government Code Section 8594.10, enacted through Senate Bill 1047 in 2012, which lets law enforcement request regional alerts for missing people 65 or older, or those with cognitive impairments, who disappear under unexplained or dangerous circumstances, according to the California Department of Justice.
The urgency behind that quick activation isn't abstract. Research synthesized by medical institutions and search-and-rescue organizations shows that missing dementia patients not located within 24 hours face up to a 50 percent risk of severe injury or death, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Wandering itself is common among people with the disease — the Alzheimer's Association estimates that 60 percent of those living with Alzheimer's or related dementias will wander from home at least once during their illness, per the Cleveland Clinic.
An Aging County Faces a Familiar Risk
Sonoma County's demographics are relevant to cases like Pham's. Living arrangements can affect how quickly a disappearance is noticed.
Pham's case was one search for an at-risk resident. Last month, Petaluma police used an automated license plate reader network to track a missing memory-impaired senior driver across five Northern California counties until he was found safely 150 miles away in Humboldt County, as Hoodline previously reported in its story on the camera-tracked search.
Deputies had asked anyone who spotted Pham to call 911 or local law enforcement while the search was active. With Pham now found safe, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office publicly thanked the residents who called in tips during the search.
