Edmund Solomon: South Carolina elderly with dementia goes missing from cruise ship terminal in Mexico
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: An American tourist with dementia is reported missing in Mexico, prompting officials to a multi-day search. According to a Facebook post from Cozumel Civil Protection, Edmund Solomon, 66, was reported missing at 8.17 pm local time on Wednesday, April 3.
The post further noted that the man's wife said her husband, who has “advanced dementia,” was wearing a collar with a GPS device to monitor his location when he disappeared in the area of Passion Island.
Edmund Solomon was vacationing with his family
Solomon, who also goes by the name Brad, was “vacationing with family on a Royal Caribbean” cruise when he “wandered off by himself” around 1 pm. Marissa Aldridge, who has worked with Solomon's wife, wrote it in the description of a GoFundMe campaign she started for the couple.
Edmund Solomon's daughter Savannah Miller speaks out after his disappearance
According to NBC affiliate WCBD-TV and ABC affiliate WCIV, Savannah Miller, the South Carolina man's daughter, said Solomon had gone to the restroom at the cruise ship’s terminal when he disappeared.
“When my stepmom, Mimi, came out, he wasn’t there,” Miller explained. “She thought he might still be in the bathroom so she waited for him for a few minutes. He didn’t come out.”
Edmund Solomon was recently diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia
Miller said Solomon was recently diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, which impacts behavior more than memory, according to WCBD-TV.
“He sometimes says odd things and behaves erratically — or oddly — because he’s just doing what he knows how to do,” Miller noted. “He can’t process the same way you or I can.”
A taxi driver called the emergency services
Authorities said a taxi driver called 911 and reported picking up a foreign tourist who matched Solomon's description on the road to La Pasion island, Mexico News Daily reported.
The victim apparently entered the taxi on 65th Avenue around 2.30 pm and asked to be dropped off at a road with access to the beach and later paid with a wristwatch.
Edmund Solomon and his wife are nurses
Both Solomon and his wife Mimi are nurses who “dedicated their lives and careers to helping others,” Aldridge said on GoFundMe.
Mimi, who works at the local VA Hospital, is also a recent breast cancer survivor. “Between cancer and dementia, they have been through so much in the last few years,” Aldridge wrote, “and yet Mimi still shows up everyday to take care of others.”
Royal Caribbean said in a statement that they are “working closely with local law enforcement, who is continuing the search” for Solomon, according to WCIV. “Our care team is providing support and assistance to the guest’s family during this difficult time,” the cruise line added.
