A 68-year-old St. Louis man with dementia who can barely speak after losing part of his tongue to throat cancer walked away from his home sometime overnight and has not been seen since. Nathaniel Richard Manzy was last spotted near the 3800 block of Chippewa, and his family fears he may be unable to tell anyone who he is or that he needs help.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department posted an alert on Facebook Monday afternoon identifying Manzy as an endangered missing adult, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. He was last seen wearing a grey long sleeve t-shirt and has short, gray hair. Police say he frequents alleys and has a habit of collecting cans, details that could help residents and business owners along South Chippewa recognize him if he passes through.
Manzy's sister-in-law, Sharon Manzy, filled in critical context missing from the initial police bulletin in a Facebook post published Monday. She wrote that family members discovered he was gone on the morning of August 31 when they went to his room to get him ready for adult day care, only to find him missing. Manzy is believed to have walked away from his home sometime overnight between Sunday and early Monday, per the Facebook post.
A Speech Impairment That Could Complicate the Search
What makes this case especially urgent, according to the family's account, is that Manzy has severe difficulty speaking due to a partial tongue removal following throat cancer treatment. Family members warned that this could hinder his ability to explain who he is or ask passersby for assistance, even if someone does encounter him. That detail did not appear in the department's original alert, which listed only physical descriptors and his routine of searching alleys for cans.
Anyone who spots Manzy is asked to call 911 immediately. Tips can also go to the department's Missing Persons Unit at 314-444-5301.
Why Missing Dementia Cases Move on the Clock
Cases involving missing adults with dementia carry a narrow window for a safe recovery. Clinical data published by the Cleveland Clinic indicates that roughly half of people with dementia who wander and are not found within the first 24 hours suffer severe injuries or die, largely from exposure, dehydration, or trauma. The Alzheimer's Association notes that about six in 10 people living with dementia will wander away from home at least once, and many do so repeatedly.
Research from the Medicare Rights Center adds that wandering often intensifies in the late afternoon and evening due to sundowning agitation, or when someone tries to recreate a former routine, such as heading to work or running an errand. Manzy's disappearance just before his scheduled adult day care pickup fits a pattern familiar to caregivers who track these behavioral triggers.
How Missouri's Alert System Works
Missouri's Endangered Silver Advisory system, overseen by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, requires that a missing person be at least 60 years old, have dementia or another cognitive impairment, have a report filed by a legal custodian, and have enough physical detail available to inform the public before an advisory can be issued. Separately, state law under Missouri Revised Statutes Section 43.401 bars police from imposing any waiting period before opening an investigation or entering a missing person into state and national databases, a distinction Hoodline has previously reported amid public confusion over how quickly departments are required to act.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department currently maintains more than 130 active missing person cases, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol logged 3,086 missing adult reports statewide in 2025. St. Louis Regional Crime Stoppers accepts anonymous tips on active missing person cases in the metro area and offers rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to a major break.
Manzy's case follows a string of recent local disappearances involving vulnerable adults, including a 73-year-old man with dementia reported missing earlier this month and a St. Louis man missing for weeks without his medication. Family members are asking anyone in the South Chippewa area, especially those familiar with the alleys nearby, to keep watch for a man who may not be able to say his own name.
