A 78-year-old Bradenton man with dementia was found safe Tuesday night after his daughter's phone app helped police track down the vehicle he was driving. David Twible was reported missing while behind the wheel of a gold 2017 Ford Escape, and officers located him thanks in part to tracking software his daughter had installed on his phone.
According to the Bradenton Police Department, Twible was wearing a long-sleeve gray T-shirt and khaki cargo pants when he was reported missing, and his vehicle carried the license plate CW80UR. Police said Twible's daughter had installed an app on his phone, and that tool helped officers intercept him before he could travel far. Officers said Twible was believed to be somewhere in Manatee County and would be on his way home soon once located.
The department had asked the public to call 911 immediately if Twible or his vehicle was spotted, underscoring how quickly these situations can escalate for families and law enforcement alike.
A Recurring Challenge for Local Law Enforcement
Twible's case echoes a similar search earlier this year, when Bradenton Police and the Manatee County Sheriff's Office spent 24 hours using K9 units, drones, and marine assets to locate 74-year-old Roberto Ceballos Ramirez after he wandered into a brushy area near his home in March, according to WTSP. Ramirez was found dehydrated but alert by a sheriff's K9 bloodhound and evacuated by Bradenton officers, that report noted.
Bradenton Police Chief Melanie Bevan has publicly reaffirmed the department's commitment to protecting elderly residents, backing state legislative efforts to improve officer training on dementia and Alzheimer's interactions, according to Florida Politics. That push reflects a broader statewide concern: Florida is home to more than 4.3 million residents aged 60 and older, and over 520,000 living with probable Alzheimer's disease or related dementia, according to estimates from Safe Mobility for Life.
Why Family Tracking Tools Matter
Roughly 60 percent of people living with dementia will wander away from home or caregivers at least once during their illness, according to the Alzheimer's Association. A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society that analyzed 156 Florida Silver Alert cases found that only 15 percent of missing drivers with dementia were actively driving when located, while 60 percent were found outside the county where they first disappeared.
That data helps explain why consumer tracking apps, like the one Twible's daughter installed on his phone, can be so valuable in the critical hours after someone goes missing. Manatee County also participates in Project Lifesaver, a voluntary program in which people with cognitive disorders wear radio-frequency wristbands that help emergency responders locate them, with a national average recovery time under 30 minutes.
Local Technology Backing Up the Search
Manatee County law enforcement also leans on more than 130 automated license plate readers, including 79 Flock cameras operated by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office as of August, which officials credit with assisting in recoveries of missing juveniles and seniors with dementia. Since Florida's Silver Alert program launched in 2008, the state has activated roughly 3,000 alerts, leading to 286 safe recoveries of missing seniors, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Bradenton Police have also cautioned residents to be wary of fraudulent missing-person posts circulating on social media, warning in 2025 that scam alerts can generate public skepticism and weaken the reach of legitimate announcements. That makes verified updates from official police accounts, like the one confirming Twible's safe recovery, especially important for families and neighbors trying to help during an active search.
