Roanoke Police Find Dementia Patient After Hours-Long Search

On April 16, 2026 a 75‑year‑old man with dementia left his home in Roanoke, Virginia, and was not seen again until his family reported him missing nearly four hours later. The Roanoke Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center entered the vehicle’s details into the Flock license‑plate recognition system, allowing a crime analyst to pinpoint a recent location within minutes.

Officers located the man parked at the intersection of Morton Avenue and 13th Street SE, where he said his vehicle had run out of gas and he had become disoriented. He was unharmed and was escorted back to his home and reunited with his family.