Name: John F. Ward
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: August 30, 1994
Location Last Seen: Chatsworth, Los Angeles County, California
Date of Birth: June 15, 1926
Age: 68 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Hair Color: White
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Alzheimer's disease. Had a white beard when last seen.
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown
Clothing: Aqua sweatshirt, khaki shorts, maroon socks, walking shoes
Jewelry: Medic alert bracelet, wedding ring, watch on right wrist
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Ward was last seen August 30, 1994 in Chatsworth, CA.
Ward, an avid hiker, set out on foot from his Chatsworth home for a sporting goods store a couple of miles away. John, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease five years earlier, apparently forgot his way home.
He had disappeared twice before. Once, authorities found him near Magic Mountain, a hike of more than 20 miles.
A day or two after John's disappearance, an equestrian exchanged greetings with a man lying near a log in Brown's Canyon, in those same foothills he often hiked. More than four hours later, she was surprised to see the man lying on another log nearby. Shown a photo of John Ward by Los Angeles police, the woman said she was almost certain that was the man she'd seen in the hills. But searches over the next two days turned up nothing.
Agency Name: Los Angeles Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Adult Missing Persons Unit
Agency Phone Number: 213-896-1800
Agency E-Mail: missingpersons@lapd.online
Agency Case Number: 9417-28519
NamUs Case Number: 39882
NCIC Case Number: M-763336578
NamUs
CA DOJ
Los Angeles Times - Sep. 15, 1994 & Jan. 21, 1996
Added: Prior to 2011; Last Updated: 07/03/2024 - By: mc
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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