‘Not like him’: DC man with dementia missing 3 days during scorching heat wave

A 73-year-old man with dementia has been missing for three days during this punishing heat wave, and a frantic search is underway.

For years, retired truck driver Frankie Jones Sr. fixed cars for neighbors in Southwest D.C., letting people pay him what they could for his work. Now, a missing person flyer is on every door of the Galveston Street SW apartment complex where Jones lives with his fiancée and family members who love and care for him.

Jones walked out the front door Tuesday at 4 p.m. and didn’t return.

He often went to the parking lot to tinker with the family cars — an ability he retains as he struggles with cognitive decline, said his daughter Julia Marsh.

“We don’t know what direction he went in, so we’re just really trying to figure out if he’s in this area somewhere, in the woods somewhere,” she said. “Maybe he’s somewhere lost, don’t know how to find his way back.”

The family has searched everywhere they can think of, including nearby auto parts stores and car repair shops. Places they think Jones would be drawn to.

They worry about him being out there alone and likely confused in the scorching, potentially deadly heat.

“It’s been hot for the past few days, a hundred degrees, and we still don’t know where he is,” his daughter said. “This is not like him. It’s not like him to walk away and not return.”

Jones stands 5-feet-11-inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing a light blue shirt, blue jeans and black-and-white slides.

Anyone who sees Jones should call the D.C. police Real Time Crime Center at (202) 727-9099. If he appears to be in danger, call 911.