KIRKLAND, Wash. — A community search party has found a vulnerable man who was missing out of Kirkland.
The Kirkland Police Department (KPD) said Sunday that the 66-year-old man, who went missing Wednesday, was found six block from where he was last seen.
"The dedication and determination of Kirkland’s community members played a critical role in this positive outcome and is a testament to the power of community collaboration and care," police said in a press release.
The man was taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation, treatment and monitoring.
KPD said the man left his residence in the area of Northeast 144th Place and 129th Place Northeast around noon Wednesday and didn't return. Video from a nearby water tower spotted him walking eastbound on Northeast 144th Place.
"It's been very difficult simply not knowing where he is," Loretta Fast, the man's wife, said Friday. "Today with the rain and last night it's become even more difficult."
Neighbors have blanketed the area with missing persons posters and searched the area on their own.
KPD said the man has Parkinson's disease and requires consistent medical care. Without it, he is prone to falling, disorientation and confusion. Fast said he wears a medical pump that treats his Parkinson's and has most likely run out.
"If he did have a moment of clarity how to get back home I don't know if he's be able to," Fast said.
The man, a former software engineer, does not have access to a car but could have accessed the King County Metro bus system.
"I'm as perplexed as everybody else, which makes it more difficult, because there's no way to predict where he went or how even," Fast said.
"To think I'm sitting in a house with a roof and jacket and he's maybe out in the rain – it's difficult," Fast said.
KPD was working in coordination with King County Search and Rescue to find him.
