Sanford Police: 82‑Year‑Old Man Considered Missing and Endangered; Last Seen Near Gordon Street

Angel De Jesus Lucena walked west from the 400 block of Gordon Street around 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, and has not been found. Sanford Police classified him as missing and endangered and are asking anyone who spots him to call the department immediately at 407-665-6650.

Lucena is 82 years old, stands about 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs approximately 150 pounds, and has brown eyes and a bald head. He was last seen wearing a white button-up shirt, blue jeans, and a black hat bearing a Cuban flag. That hat is his most distinctive identifier, the detail most likely to register with anyone who passed him on foot through Sanford's west side. With Hispanic residents making up approximately 21.6 percent of Sanford's population, the Cuban-flag hat carries particular resonance as a field identifier in the neighborhoods west of the 400 block.

"Due to the circumstances, Angel is considered endangered," the department's release stated. "Please note: Angel may be disoriented or not know where he is located."

The "endangered" classification indicates that a missing person's age, medical condition, or cognitive state places them at elevated risk of serious harm. It is a separate category from a formal Florida Silver Alert, which is administered by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and applies specifically to individuals 60 and older suffering from an irreversible deterioration of intellectual faculties such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Lucena, at 82, meets the age threshold for a Silver Alert, though whether FDLE activated one alongside Sanford Police's alert had not been confirmed. Families in Seminole County who believe an elderly loved one qualifies can initiate a Silver Alert request through FDLE when the person is 60 or older and shows signs of cognitive deterioration. For an immediate welfare check on a missing elderly resident, the Sanford Police non-emergency line is 407-665-6650.

The wandering statistics that frame cases like this one are stark. The Alzheimer's Foundation estimates that roughly 60 percent of Alzheimer's patients, approximately 3 million Americans, will wander at some point. Among all people with dementia, 40 percent get lost; for those in nursing homes, the rate climbs to 39 percent. Florida's scale amplifies the exposure: the state ranks second nationally in senior population, behind only California. Over a multi-year period, FDLE issued 377 Silver Alerts statewide, recovering 367 seniors safely, with 51 of those recoveries credited directly to the broadcasts.

Sanford has seen cases like this before. In November 2024, officers activated an endangered-missing search for Kevin Boyer, 61, after he was last seen jumping a gate at the Sanford Manor assisted living facility. That case also required sustained public assistance to generate leads.

Sanford, the county seat of Seminole County with a population of approximately 62,292, sits just north of Orlando. The NFound Samaritan Project has identified the broader Orlando-area region as carrying a high concentration of missing-senior cases tied to Florida's climate and large elderly population. Outdoor exposure, traffic, and disorientation in the heat make early recovery critical.

Anyone who sees Angel De Jesus Lucena or spots the black Cuban-flag hat should call Sanford Police at 407-665-6650.