Missing Man, 77, Found in N. California
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A 77-year-old Lake Forest man, who has Alzheimer’s disease, was found in a ravine in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains Friday, two days after he drove away from a gas station, leaving his wife stranded, police said Sunday.
Bernard L. Smith and his wife and another couple were on a day trip Wednesday when they stopped at a Pomona gas station, said Pomona Police Sgt. Louie Hernandez. When his wife got out of the car, Smith drove off, Hernandez said. The other couple jumped out of the car.
“His wife didn’t know what he was doing or where he was going,” Hernandez said, adding that when found he apparently believed “his wife was still with him.”
A rancher found Smith Friday afternoon lying in a ravine, wearing a sweat shirt and underwear, police said. Smith was not injured but was taken to a local hospital for observation, police said. His family picked him up Saturday.
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