MACON, Ga. — The search is still on for 69-year-old Roy Reese. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office said the Macon man was last seen on Saturday at a Walmart. His family said he has dementia.
His niece Amber Cearnal said the family has been out looking for him several times a day. While Reese was last seen Saturday, the last time the family saw him was last Thursday.
“Normally he go walking around in the community where we live at and usually he come right back,” she said. “So later on that night, we was checking to see if he made it back. He hadn't made it back home yet. So we just kind of got a little worried because it's not like him and usually he don't stay out too long.”
Over the weekend, the family posted that he was last seen wearing a plaid shirt. After the family looked at home camera video, they now believe he actually left wearing a black hat, a long sleeve orange shirt and dark blue jeans.
"We are praying that he is out there somewhere and safe and sound,” Cearnal said. “As the family, we have been posting the flyers around town and different areas that he could be."
Cearnal said Reese often walks around the Houston Road, Hartley Bridge area. He also took the bus twice a week.
The family believes Reese may have ridden one of the city buses to the Walmart on Harrison Road. Cearnal said Reese was diagnosed with dementia around the same time he went missing last week.
"We've been trying to keep a close eye on him … close contact with them," she said.
Alzheimer's Association program manager Alexis Williams said people with dementia can get confused doing routine tasks.
"They're not intending to wander or get lost,” she said. “They're just trying to go do a simple task and lose their way and get confused which leads to them walking off."
Cearnal said Reese is friendly and likes to have conversations with people. The Alzheimer's Association has a help hotline for people who need help with their loved one. It’s a 24-hour line and can be reached at 1-800-272-3900.
If you have any information on Reese, you can reach out to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office at 478-751-7500. The family would like anyone with information to report it.
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