Helicopter added to search for missing Lancaster man who left adult care center

Police in Lancaster have employed a helicopter in their search for an elderly man who deputies say walked away from an adult care center Friday.

Jerry Roscoe Cauthen, 74, is considered a missing person and is believed to have left the Heath Springs Residential Care Center on foot, said Doug Barfield, spokesman for the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office. Cauthen was last seen at the center Friday in the mid-afternoon, Barfield said.

The center is in southern Lancaster County. Deputies posted on the sheriff’s office Facebook page Saturday that Cauthen has some dementia and suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease.

Cauthen is described as a white man, 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, with gray hair, balding on top. He was wearing blue jeans and a red flannel shirt the last time he was seen, Barfield said.

Anyone who has seen Cauthen is urged to call 911 or Lancaster deputies at 803-283-4136 or 803-283-3388; contact Crimestoppers at 888-274-6372, or sccrimestoppers.com.

This story was originally published December 27, 2016 at 12:35 PM with the headline "Helicopter added to search for missing Lancaster man who left adult care center."