Traveling Wonderer: Man With Alzheimer’s Goes Missing In Mexico. Twice.

Philip Orvan Kneifl, a 67-year-old man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, wandered into Mexico twice before being eventually being found 400 miles from the border. Before up and disappearing, Kneifl had made arrangements to visit his sister in Kansas. His wife was on a mission trip with her church, so Kneifl left his Victoria, Texas home by himself and began his journey into Kansas, Mexico. Why, you may be asking yourself, would his family allow a man with dementia to stay home or travel by himself? A fine question. Says Sheriff T. Michael O’Connor:

“They really didn’t think his dementia was as serious.”

Sure. Kniefl ended up crossing into Mexico, twice, at Laredo. Soon after his wife reported him missing the next day, it was discovered by investigators that he was being fed cookies by villagers in the Mexican state of Zacatecas.

The Department of Homeland Security stepped in and flew Kniefl to Mexico City to be met by his son. Airline officials were reluctant to allow him to board without a passport. Which is apparently not a problem for Americans traipsing into Mexico. Do you suppose an old, sick Mexican man who’d gotten himself into the U.S. would have been welcomed with hugs and cookies?

Missing man with Alzheimer’s travels to Mexico [Chron]