The Guardia Civil on Wednesday launched a search in Torre de Juan Abad (Province of Ciudad Real) for 72-year-old Francisco Javier Basterra Molina according to the Subdelegación del Gobierno in Ciudad Real, the man, who has Alzheimer’s, has been missing for around 24 hours; the security forces deployed a helicopter to assist and coordinated additional ground patrols. The aim is to search the immediate surroundings of the town systematically and quickly find any clues to his whereabouts.
According to consistent media reports, Basterra Molina left the town on Tuesday in his daughter’s vehicle, a dark grey Seat Ateca with the registration number 3686 KLK. Investigators are reviewing footage from road and surveillance cameras at the access points to reconstruct a possible route. The review is focusing on regional connecting roads to identify any turns or through-movements by the car and define priority search areas for teams on the ground.
Alongside the security forces’ efforts, local residents organised a coordinated search around the town. The town hall called on people to take part and asked them to coordinate through the municipal administration to avoid duplicating routes and to record relevant information systematically. Such public search operations are usually coordinated with the emergency services so that reports of sightings, discoveries of traces and new search areas can be cross-checked promptly.
The authorities asked the public to report any sightings of the missing man or the vehicle by calling the emergency numbers 062 (Guardia Civil) or 112. There had been no confirmed sightings by late morning. The helicopter is being used in particular to survey open areas and hard-to-reach terrain quickly, while patrols on foot and in vehicles are checking nearby paths and the outskirts of the town.
The case is considered time-critical: people with dementia can quickly become lost and are at particular risk of ill health in the summer heat. The confirmed details are his name, age and condition, the vehicle information, the deployment of a helicopter, the review of camera footage and the involvement of volunteers. The reasons for and precise circumstances of the disappearance beyond the known facts remain unconfirmed. Investigators say they will release further details only once the facts have been established.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).