Missing Yuma Man Richard William Lee Found Safe After Alert

Richard William Lee, 56, was found safe near the 9700 block of E. Allans Road in Yuma less than three hours after the Yuma County Sheriff's Office issued a public alert for him on March 14, closing a search that had stretched across the better part of a Saturday morning and afternoon.

The YCSO received the missing-person report at approximately 9:30 a.m. that day. Lee had been last seen leaving his residence and walking in an unknown direction from the area of 24th Street and Avenue 9E. Deputies were unable to locate him through their own efforts, prompting the office to release a public alert at 4:00 p.m. asking anyone with information to come forward.

Lee is described as approximately 6'2" tall, weighing roughly 147 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a long-sleeved green shirt, blue striped pants, and gray shoes. The YCSO noted in its release that Lee suffers from a mental health condition, which added urgency to the search given the time he had already been unaccounted for.

At 6:45 p.m., the YCSO issued an update under case number DR# 2026-18201: Lee had been located safe. The update listed the location of the incident as the 9700 block of E. Allans Road. No further details about how or by whom he was found were included in the release.

The alert was issued by Tania Pavlak, Public Affairs Specialist for the Yuma County Sheriff's Office. Anyone with future tips on similar cases can reach the YCSO at (928) 783-4427, call 78-CRIME to remain anonymous, or submit a tip through yumacountysheriff.org.