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Missing Elderly Man With Dementia Wandered From Home 9 Years Ago
Ali Kamhaz’s son-in-law spotted him down the road from their house, but by the time he parked and walked back, Ali had vanished.
Ali Kamhaz was an 88-year-old retired farmer living in Paxton, Massachusetts, with his daughter Miriam and her husband Sam Ismail. Originally from Lebanon, he had been living in the US for over twenty years. Most reports say he only spoke Arabic, but some mention him knowing a little English.
Ali suffered from dementia, but his family described him as high-functioning. He also had diabetes, though he did not depend on insulin.
He often walked around his neighborhood and was in good shape despite using a cane. According to Sam, his father-in-law had wandered off several times,
“One time he got all the way to Worcester. Another time he got to Worcester Airport. He always headed the same way.”
At 10:30 AM on February 21, 2016, Ali walked out of his family’s home on William Allen Drive. He had been watching TV with Sam, but when he went into another room, Ali left the house.
When Sam realized, he got in his car and drove down the road. He spotted Ali a few hundred yards away near Route 122. Sam didn’t want to startle him, so he drove further down the road to park and then walked back to…
