A 68-year-old Wheat Ridge man is missing. Mustapha “Ben” Benhmida is described as a white male, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 178 pounds, with brown eyes and grey hair.
Alert Issued as Hours Stretch Into Days
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation issued a Senior Alert for Benhmida. He is known to talk loudly to himself and gesture frequently with his hands. He was last seen wearing a dark cotton jacket and dark joggers.
Under Colorado law, a Senior Alert can only be activated when a missing resident is 60 or older, has an impaired mental condition verified by a signed statement from a family member, close friend, caregiver, doctor, or medical facility, and faces a disappearance that poses a credible threat to health and safety, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation guidance. State regulations define a verified impaired mental condition through such a signed statement, per rules cited by the Legal Information Institute.
Search Complicated by a Dangerous Corridor
Sheridan Boulevard is a major arterial, according to the Denver Regional Council of Governments. The same agency has classified the stretch of Sheridan between 26th Avenue and Hampden Avenue as a Critical Corridor on its Regional High-Injury Network, citing a high density of fatal and severe-injury traffic collisions there.
That stretch of roadway adds urgency to a search shaped by medical realities. Research cited by the Cleveland Clinic and the Alzheimer's Association indicates that about 60 percent of people living with Alzheimer’s disease will wander at least once, and 50 percent of individuals not found within 24 hours of departure end up severely injured or dead.
How to Report a Sighting
Anyone with information about Benhmida’s whereabouts should report it to law enforcement. Colorado law enforcement guidance makes clear that families and caregivers do not need to wait 24 hours or any set period before reporting a missing adult with a cognitive impairment, according to the Colorado State University Police Department.
Part of a Broader Pattern Along the Corridor
The disappearance has brought attention to missing-person searches in the Sheridan Boulevard area.
Colorado also provides guidance on missing-person alerts through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. The broader policy context includes Colorado missing-person legislation, according to the Colorado General Assembly.
