By Duane Barbati
dbarbati@alamogordonews.com @DuaneBarbati on Twitter
William Buchanan (Courtesy photo)
The 75-year-old man who was reported missing from an Alamogordo nursing home was found dead Monday morning, an Alamogordo Police Department spokeswoman said.
The man was reported missing around 2:30 a.m. Aug. 20 from Casa Arena Blanca Nursing Center, a long-term care facility at 205 Moonglow St.
Sgt. Tracy Corbett said William Buchanan was found dead in an alley near Loma Vista and Del Norte drives around 9:50 a.m. Monday.
"A lady who lives in the trailer park was in her back yard (Monday morning)," Corbett said. "She saw something out of the corner of her eye, then looked over the fence and saw the gentleman (Buchanan) laying there. The area where he was found has four foot tall bushes and brush. The Casa Arena Blanca Nursing Center employees and our detectives searched that area when Buchanan was first reported missing. He had been at Casa Arena Blanca Nursing Center recovering from recent surgery."
Buchanan suffered from Alzheimer's disease and had a surgical incision on his stomach that had not yet healed.
He was discovered missing by Casa Arena Blanca Nursing Center employees during a resident bed check Aug. 20.
Corbett said at the time of Buchanan being discovered missing, police and Casa Arena Blanca Nursing Center employees conducted an initial search of the area but were
unable to locate him.
She said Buchanan was placed into the National Crime Information Center database as a missing person.
When the initial search to locate Buchanan was unsuccessful, the Alamogordo Police Department contacted the New Mexico State Police and U.S. Border Patrol to assist in the search, Corbett said.
State police initiated a Silver Alert and provided search and rescue teams from throughout the state, including those from Alamogordo, Chavez County, Cibola, White Mountain, Mesilla Valley and Socorro.
The Doña Ana County Sheriff's Mounted Patrol, Organ Mountain Technical Rescue Squad, the nursing staff and administration from Casa Arena Blanca and numerous local citizens also participated in the search.
After the search produced no leads to Buchanan's whereabouts, the search was suspended around 5 p.m. Aug. 21.
Corbett said Buchanan's next of kin has been notified of his death.
"Buchanan had bandages and other medical paraphernalia consistent with what he would have had on his person at the time he left the facility," she said. "Alamogordo Police Department did not receive any reports of unusual activity from anyone in the neighborhood prior to his discovery."
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