Police are appealing to the public for help locating an elderly man reported missing in Toronto nearly two weeks ago.
Toronto police are searching for 76-year-old Antonio Madeira, who was last seen on July 12 between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. in the Winona Drive and Mulberry Crescent area.
Police said Madeira is five-feet-five-inches tall, with a thin build, weighing around 150 pounds.
According to police he has hazel eyes, is balding with short white hair and a full white beard.
Officers said he was last seen wearing a dark or black jacket, light khaki pants, white or light-coloured shoes and a baseball hat.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Toronto police Const. Laura Brabant said Madeira has a distinctive limp, and often walks with his hands behind his back.
“We are appealing to members of the public today, members of this community, to please check your backyards, check your garages, sheds anywhere that a person may be able to take shelter,” she said. “We’re also asking if you live in this community or in this area, if you have security, surveillance or door cams or dash cam footage to check your video footage it may be of use for us if you suspect that you see Mr. Madeira on your cameras.”
Anyone with information, or who believes they may have spotted Madeira is asked to contact police.
Madeira’s son, Michael Madeira, said he is pleading with the public for help in finding his father.
“We are just pleading for all the help we can get from anywhere or anyone because we just don’t know what part of the city he’s in right now,” he said.
Madeira said his father takes frequent walks and is known to people in the area. He said this it is “unlike him” to go missing for an extended period of time.
“This is obviously very concerning as it’s been two weeks, you know, there’s been a heatwave (and) storms,” he told reporters Monday. “We’re just asking everyone to check their backyards, garages, he could be looking for shelter, maybe by factories — we don’t know where he is in the city at this point.”
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Madeira said his father likely looks “more disheveled” than he does in the photos that have been circulated, and that he is probably disoriented.
He said his father mainly speaks Portuguese, but also understands Spanish and Italian.
According to Madeira, his father is friendly, and has been known to make friends with construction workers or people at dog parks in the area.
He said recently, though, his father’s memory has been “getting worse,” adding that his doctors have told the family there “may be an onset of dementia coming.”
“Unfortunately, he hasn’t been technically diagnosed, but the onset has been there,” he said. “So what we’re thinking (is that) he may have had his first episode when he went for his routine walk on Wednesday — that is definitely a possibility.”
Madeira said his father is “pretty quiet” and “completely harmless.”
“He’s probably very lost and confused, so if you do see him, the main thing would be obviously to contact police right away,” he said.
Police said if anyone locates Madeira, to contact officers immediately and stay with him until emergency services arrives.
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