An approximately 80-year-old Santa Rosa man who vanished for roughly 48 hours was found alive Thursday evening, disoriented and down in heavy brush near Annadel State Park, after a sheriff's helicopter crew picked up his heat signature within minutes of beginning an aerial search. Officers had been searching for him since a concerned neighbor reported he hadn't been seen or heard from in two days.
Santa Rosa police officers were dispatched to the 300 block of Los Alamos Road at approximately 5:53 p.m. on Thursday for the missing-person report, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department. The neighbor who raised the alarm told officers the resident had not been seen or heard from for roughly 48 hours. Police described the man as having known medical conditions, including a cardiac history that requires daily medication, and he was entered into the missing and unidentified persons system as a missing person at risk.
When officers reached his home, they found it unlocked and unoccupied, with his vehicle and cellular phone still inside — a sign he had likely left on foot. The department's report notes he regularly walked from his residence to the nearby Annadel State Park area, which helped guide the search toward that stretch of terrain.
Helicopter Crew Spots Heat Signature Off Channel Drive
Patrol officers and violent crimes investigations detectives conducted an extensive ground search and canvassed numerous neighbors before requesting the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office's Henry 1 helicopter to scan the broader area. The police department's report credits the helicopter crew's aerial search capability with helping locate the man within minutes. The Henry 1 crew detected a heat signature in a wooded area off Channel Drive shortly after beginning its search.
Officers who responded to that location found the man down and disoriented in heavy brush on private property. He reported that he had fallen several times during his walk and could not say how long he had been outside. He was transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation and treatment, according to the department's report, identified internally as case number 26-12656.
Thermal detection from the air has featured in other rescues. In a separate incident described by Vertical Magazine, a Henry 1 crew used thermal imaging to spot a hiker clinging to a cliffside roughly 50 to 60 feet below a trail in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, then carried out a longline rescue.
A Pattern of Searches for At-Risk Seniors in Santa Rosa
Recent cases include 78-year-old Marcia Wilson, whom police found safe in downtown Santa Rosa following an overnight search last month; The Press Democrat reported that Wilson had dementia, high blood pressure and other medical conditions requiring medication. In September, Hoodline reported that 89-year-old Mac Pham, who had Alzheimer's disease, was found safe after going missing for nearly 24 hours.
The stakes in these searches are significant. Research attributed to the Cleveland Clinic and cited in a prior Hoodline report found that missing dementia patients not located within 24 hours face up to a 50 percent risk of severe injury or death, while the Alzheimer's Association estimates that 60 percent of people living with Alzheimer's or related dementias will wander from home at least once during their illness.
Santa Rosa police did not specify the man's underlying medical conditions beyond his cardiac history, and the department's report does not identify him or detail his condition following hospitalization. Media inquiries on the case can be directed to Sgt. Gillotte at [email protected].
