Kansas City police are asking for the public's help finding a 71-year-old man who disappeared Saturday night and is believed to have dementia. David Christensen was last seen around 9 p.m. near NE 103rd Street and McKinley Avenue, and he's believed to have driven off in his own vehicle, a white 2019 Volkswagen Atlas.
According to the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, Christensen took the SUV, which carries Missouri license plate ZC8N2V. The department describes him as a white male standing 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing about 175 pounds, with grey hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a grey shirt and blue jeans, per the same report.
KCPD shared the same details in a post on X from its official account, @kcpolice
, writing that Christensen “is believed to have dementia” and asking anyone who spots him to call 911 or the department's Missing Person Unit at 816-234-5043.
A Pattern Of Urgent Searches For Older Kansas Citians
Christensen's disappearance follows a string of similar cases KCPD has handled involving older residents with dementia who wandered off or drove away unexpectedly. In one case, the department issued a Silver Alert for James Cotton, a 65-year-old Kansas City man with dementia and seizures who had been with a family member near Armour Road and Gillham Road before he went missing — and the station's report later noted that Cotton was located safe.
In another case, 71-year-old Billy P. Eskridge was last seen walking away from his residence near East 55th Street and Virginia Avenue around 1 p.m. on a Thursday. He, too, was eventually found safe and returned home to his family, according to the same KSHB coverage.
Both of those searches carried the same instructions now attached to Christensen's case: anyone who sees the missing person or their vehicle is urged to call 911 or reach KCPD directly rather than attempt contact on their own.
What To Do If You See Him
Anyone who spots Christensen or his white Volkswagen Atlas is asked to call 911 immediately or contact KCPD's Missing Person Unit. Police have not released further updates on the search since the initial alert went out.
