Search continues for Santa Rosa senior, missing three weeks

Flyers are up around the community
photo credit: Marc Albert/KRCB

Officially missing three weeks as of Monday, the family of Santa Rosa resident Larry Atchison is redoubling efforts.

Over the weekend, family members passed out three hundred care packages to area homeless, each with Atchison's photo. On Monday, Atchison's daughter made the rounds of San Francisco shelters, soup kitchens and fire stations, spreading the word. That's after similar efforts in Marin County.

A truck driver for more than four decades, Atchison left for a walk in Bennett Valley on the afternoon of February 27th. He was last seen at the corner of Summerfield Road and Horseshoe Drive.

Pierre Gachet, Atchison's son said it has been an all out effort.

"We were very frantic and concerned and that's why we were doing patrols like, the first few weeks, around the clock as much as we could."

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The 64-year-old was diagnosed with early onset dementia three years ago. His condition began worsening after New Year's.

Gachet said authorities committed many resources, at first.

"First few days it was Sonoma County Search and Rescue, and then they rotated and Marin County Search and Rescue took over and then after that they scaled back the search and rescue because they essentially had nothing, and it kind of became more of an investigative role, looking through footage, figure out if there's additional footage to figure out what his route was. They needed more clues in order to continue, and so that's where SRPD is, and that's pretty much where we've been since the second week."

He says the lack of results has mystified investigators.

"We've never done such an extensive search and not produce one additional clue... they said they think maybe he's not even in the area, because it's not common to just disappear like that," Gachet said.

Contacts are also searching in Lake County, where Atchison lived briefly, he added.

"Again, every effort counts, anything and everything."

The family has set up a group on Facebook to share information and help. The "Let's find Larry" page has more than a thousand members.