CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A 90-year-old man with dementia has been missing from the San Antonio area since Thursday.
Now, his Tennessee family is asking people around Chattanooga to watch for him because they fear he may be trying to come “home.”
Stanley Dodd was born and raised in the Middle Valley and Soddy-Daisy area before leaving Tennessee as a young man to serve in the U.S. Air Force, according to an email from a family member, Laura Bates.
His military service eventually took him to San Antonio, Texas, where he settled and raised his family.
But Bates says that as Dodd’s dementia has progressed, he has repeatedly talked about returning to Tennessee.
Within the past year, she says Dodd has even asked Tennessee relatives whether someone could pick him up if he managed to get here.
“This is not a new thought for Stanley,” Bates told us.
She says Dodd has previously tried to make his way toward Tennessee but became disoriented and needed help getting back to San Antonio.
That’s why his disappearance Thursday has his family here particularly worried.
The City of Leon Valley says Dodd was last seen around 5:30 p.m. Sept. 10, leaving his home in the 6218 Sun Hollow area.
Authorities say Dodd experiences dementia-type symptoms and may need help.
He is about 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs approximately 165 pounds. He was last seen wearing brown pants and a striped shirt.
Dodd had his wallet when he disappeared but left his cellphone at home, Bates says.
His family doesn’t know whether he remained on foot or found another way to travel after leaving his home.
And they don’t know that he’s headed toward Tennessee.
But given his history, Bates says they don’t want to overlook the possibility.
“We are not making assumptions,” she told us. “We are simply trying to consider every possibility and leave no stone unturned.”
Dodd is the subject of a Silver Alert in Texas.
His family is particularly asking people who travel between Texas and Tennessee, along with truck drivers and workers at gas stations, rest areas, hotels, welcome centers and bus stations, to look at his picture.
Bates hopes getting that picture in front of people around the place Dodd still considers home could make the difference.
“We truly believe it may only take one person recognizing Stanley and making one phone call,” she said.
Anyone who sees Dodd or knows where he may be should call the Leon Valley Police Department at 210-684-8897, or call Chattanooga Police at 423-698-2525.