August 5, 2023 was one of the hottest days in a record setting hot summer in Tucson. That afternoon the Pima County Sheriff's Office sent out a Silver Alert asking the community for help locating Miguel Moreno. Miguel was a 72 year old man with a dementia diagnosis. A few days earlier he moved into a licensed assisted living community in northwest Tucson. Facility staff realized Miguel was missing and went looking for him. A fellow resident reported that landscapers working on site had left a gate open, and Miguel likely walked out that opening. By the time air support found him, Miguel was near death and passed away shortly after.  Miguel's story has been the focus of an Arizona ABC news investigative report centered on uncovering and raising awareness of these tragedies. 

Miguel's story is too common. In 2024, the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging launched a series of hearings to review similar safety lapses in the assisted living industry. And in Arizona, our own legislature recently passed a sweeping new safety statute designed to curb these unnecessary and entirely preventable deaths. 

Dev Sethi has been focused on elopement deaths for over a decade. He has represented several families whose vulnerable family members have died after elopement from what were promised to be safe, secure surroundings. With more attention on the issue and a more robust set of laws governing the conduct of these facilities, we can all hope that things will improve. If you have questions about elopement or wandering, please be in touch with Dev for help.