Des Moines police said an older man who went missing early Tuesday morning has been found safe.Police said 80-year-old Gilberto Lopez was seen leaving his home near Jordan Park around 1 a.m. Tuesday. He has since been reunited with his family. Police thanked the public for their assistance.Lopez was found by Hy-Vee Fast and Fresh manager Ted Jones and a regular customer around 7:25 a.m. Tuesday.The regular customer told Jones she believed the 80-year-old man out front matched the description of Lopez.”When I first talked to him, he didn’t know what street he lived on,” said Jones. “So, I kind of figured he was kind of lost a bit.”Jones said Lopez told him his name, but couldn’t tell him much else. So, he called 911 and offered Lopez a cup of coffee.”We just waited around and talked with him,” Jones said.Officers had been scouring the neighborhood on Des Moines’ south side all morning. Lopez went missing around 1 a.m. and bloodhounds brought in from Boone County lost his scent around Walmart on Southeast 14th Street.”By the time the sun was coming up, we were starting to get pretty concerned,” said Des Moines Police Sergeant Paul Parizek.Until the friendly face of those at the Hyvee gas station came to his rescue.”I’m just glad we got him home where he belongs,” Jones said.Des Moines Police do have a program called L.O.S.T, or Loved Ones Safe and Together, to help families with people with Alzheimer’s. The database allows families to enter all of the information and a photo of their loved one so police can quickly have it in case they do go missing. To participate, click here.
Des Moines police said an older man who went missing early Tuesday morning has been found safe.
Police said 80-year-old Gilberto Lopez was seen leaving his home near Jordan Park around 1 a.m. Tuesday. He has since been reunited with his family.
Police thanked the public for their assistance.
Lopez was found by Hy-Vee Fast and Fresh manager Ted Jones and a regular customer around 7:25 a.m. Tuesday.
The regular customer told Jones she believed the 80-year-old man out front matched the description of Lopez.
“When I first talked to him, he didn’t know what street he lived on,” said Jones. “So, I kind of figured he was kind of lost a bit.”
Jones said Lopez told him his name, but couldn’t tell him much else. So, he called 911 and offered Lopez a cup of coffee.
“We just waited around and talked with him,” Jones said.
Officers had been scouring the neighborhood on Des Moines’ south side all morning. Lopez went missing around 1 a.m. and bloodhounds brought in from Boone County lost his scent around Walmart on Southeast 14th Street.
“By the time the sun was coming up, we were starting to get pretty concerned,” said Des Moines Police Sergeant Paul Parizek.
Until the friendly face of those at the Hyvee gas station came to his rescue.
“I’m just glad we got him home where he belongs,” Jones said.
Des Moines Police do have a program called L.O.S.T, or Loved Ones Safe and Together, to help families with people with Alzheimer’s. The database allows families to enter all of the information and a photo of their loved one so police can quickly have it in case they do go missing. To participate, click here.
