LARGO — More than two months after an 87-year-old man with dementia walked out of his apartment and vanished, Largo police say they are still actively investigating his disappearance.
Petro Kuqo was last seen around 9 a.m. Dec. 12 leaving The Pointe at Clearwater apartment complex at 1845 Oak Trail West. A doorbell camera captured him shuffling through the parking lot in a gray pajama-style shirt, dark gray sweatpants and black Skechers shoes. He had no phone, no wallet, no identification and no money.
He hasn’t been seen since.
The department released a statement Feb. 20 in response to media inquiries, saying detectives continue to follow up on all leads.
“Detectives continue to diligently follow up on all leads and pursue every available avenue,” the department stated. “We encourage anyone with information related to this case to come forward and contact our department.”
No new details were released.
Kuqo, an Albanian man who recently immigrated from Greece, has dementia and does not speak English, according to police. He is described as 5 feet 3 inches tall, about 165 pounds, with brown eyes and gray hair.
His granddaughter, Elena Mita, told reporters in December that the family was baffled by his disappearance.
“He had gotten up and had his coffee, and while everyone else was still sleeping, he just walked out in his pajamas,” Mita said at a Dec. 22 news conference.
Police launched a massive search in the days after Kuqo disappeared. Teams used bloodhounds, cadaver dogs, drones with infrared cameras, helicopters and boats to scour the area around the apartment complex, which sits near U.S. 19 about a mile north of East Bay Drive. Officers canvassed nearby businesses, checked hospital records and reviewed surveillance footage from the transit authority and school buses.
By Dec. 19, police scaled back on-scene resources, saying they were confident Kuqo was no longer in the immediate area.
“When you have a missing person, it’s all a guessing game on where they could be,” Police Chief Mike Loux said at the time.
Mita has urged residents across Pinellas County — not just in Largo — to check security and doorbell camera footage.
“It only takes one person to recognize him, remember something, or connect a piece of information that hasn’t surfaced yet,” she said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Largo Police Department at 727-587-6730.