Scottsdale Police are searching for a missing 75-year-old man who walked away from his North Scottsdale home Thursday morning without a cell phone, water, or money, as temperatures in the area climb into triple digits. Canko Marakijoski was last seen around 6 a.m. near 100th Street and Thompson Peak Parkway, not far from the McDowell Mountain Ranch neighborhood.
According to a post from ScottsdalePD, Marakijoski is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and about 170 pounds, with brown eyes and short white hair. He was last seen wearing an unknown-color shirt, khaki shorts, blue shoes, and a blue ball cap. Police documentation released Thursday lists his name with two spellings, Canko Marakijoski and Canko Makarijoski, reflecting variations across different police graphics and public notices. Anyone with information is asked to call the Scottsdale Police Department at 480-312-5000.
A Race Against the Desert Heat
The search comes as forecasts from the National Weather Service point to highs between 98°F and 105°F across the Scottsdale area in early September, with elevated heat risk spreading through Maricopa County. Those conditions pose an acute danger to anyone exposed outdoors without water, since ambient desert temperatures during late summer can trigger severe dehydration and heat stroke within hours. The area near 100th Street and Thompson Peak Parkway sits close to trail networks feeding into the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, according to Realtor.com, meaning North Scottsdale's suburban streets give way quickly to rugged, undeveloped desert terrain.
Search and rescue data compiled by the International Association for Indigenous Aging indicates that up to 90% of missing seniors with dementia who wander face fatal outcomes if they are not located within 24 hours, since confused elders rarely call out for help and often wander further into hazardous terrain rather than staying put. It is not confirmed whether Marakijoski has dementia or another cognitive condition, but the statistic underscores why authorities treat cases like his as urgent, time-sensitive emergencies.
Why Elderly Wandering Is a Growing Concern
The Alzheimer's Association reports that six out of ten people living with dementia or cognitive impairment will wander at least once, often repeatedly, without recognizing even familiar surroundings near their own homes. In Arizona specifically, Alzheimer's disease ranks as the fifth leading cause of chronic disease-related death, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services' 2025 State Plan, a burden that affects tens of thousands of older residents statewide. State health officials have expanded specialized public safety coalitions in response, aiming to better protect vulnerable adults prone to disorientation.
Past coverage from ABC15 Arizona has noted that Scottsdale Police search operations in desert park areas typically draw on aerial drones, mobile phone location tracking, and joint support from Maricopa County Sheriff's Office search and rescue teams, tools that allow searchers to scan large stretches of desert brush relatively quickly. That same outlet has also reported on a recurring regional problem in Maricopa County: wandering elderly residents facing summer heat experience severely heightened risk of fatal exposure, prompting emergency responders to treat these calls as urgent life-safety matters, not routine welfare checks.
New State Law Speeds Up Public Alerts
Arizona's public notification rules changed significantly last year. In September 2025, the Arizona Department of Public Safety launched the SAFE Alert system, replacing and expanding the state's traditional Silver Alert framework under Arizona Revised Statutes § 41-1728 to require immediate public notifications when adults 65 or older go missing under unexplained or hazardous circumstances. Under that statute, law enforcement agencies are prohibited from delaying or denying alerts once statutory criteria are met, and state emergency alert rules bar administrative holds once police confirm an endangered senior qualifies for broadcast.
That legal framework is part of why Scottsdale Police moved quickly to publicize Marakijoski's disappearance Thursday. With heat risk rising through the afternoon and search efforts ongoing near the McDowell Mountain Ranch area, police are continuing to ask residents to watch for Marakijoski and report any sightings immediately to the department.
