ROANOKE, Va., July 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A 75-year-old man with a history of dementia left his Roanoke home in his car just before noon April 16, 2026. Nearly four hours passed before his family reported him missing. The Roanoke Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center entered his vehicle into the Flock system, and a crime analyst found a recent location within minutes. Officers found the man safe in his vehicle and escorted him home.
Officers responded to the 3200 block of Wentworth Avenue NW at approximately 3:41 p.m. Given how much time had elapsed since the man’s departure, the Real Time Crime Center used Flock’s system to search for the vehicle’s recent location rather than conducting a broad area search.
A crime analyst identified a recent position, and officers searched that vicinity. The man was found at the intersection of Morton Avenue and 13th Street SE, where he told officers he had run out of gas and become disoriented. He was not injured. Officers escorted him back to his home and reunited him with his family.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c5d6204e-f98c-450f-b3ef-03addbe11d7e