Springfield police seek missing man with Alzheimer’s, ask for yard checks

Springfield police are asking residents in the west Centennial area to check yards, sheds, garages and other outbuildings after Harold Batchelder, a 70-year-old man with Alzheimer’s disease and sundowner’s syndrome, was reported missing. Officers said the search has moved into a more urgent phase after ground crews and a drone search turned up no sign of him.

Batchelder was last seen at home around 11 p.m. on June 3, when his wife, Stephanie Bachelder, saw him before bed. She reported him missing at about 9:30 a.m. on June 4, and Springfield police logged the case as 26-3491. Anyone who sees someone matching his description is asked to call the Springfield Police Department at 541-726-3714.

Police describe Batchelder as a white man, 6 feet tall, 180 pounds, with gray hair and blue eyes. He was last known to be wearing a navy blue baseball cap, an olive green zip-up jacket and olive green pants. The focus on enclosed spaces reflects a familiar risk in missing-person calls involving dementia: someone can seek shelter in a place that is hard to see from the street, especially in a residential area like west Centennial.

That risk is one reason the case carries added urgency. The Alzheimer’s Association says six in 10 people living with dementia will wander at least once, and Oregon emergency-management guidance says older adults most often go missing because of dementia or Alzheimer’s, conditions that can cause disorientation, memory loss and impaired judgment. In those situations, quick neighborhood checks can matter as much as law enforcement searches.

The wider safety network in Oregon is built around that reality. The Oregon State Police Missing Children/Adults Clearinghouse exists to distribute missing-person information to law enforcement and the public, while Lane County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue responds 24/7 to missing, lost or injured people in the county. Lane County also has Project Lifesaver for people who wander because of Alzheimer’s, autism and related conditions. For Springfield families, Batchelder’s disappearance is a reminder that a missing-person call can quickly become a medical emergency when a vulnerable adult is on foot and out of view.