Missing Former Boxing Champion Found In Detroit

DETROIT (WWJ) - Family members confirm that a former 58-year-old boxing champion who went missing in Detroit has been found safely this afternoon.

Bilal Sekou, whose boxing name is Joe Manley, was reported missing around 8 p.m. on Thursday after he wandered away from a care facility in the 4500 block of Chrysler Drive, which is in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood.

Family members say he was found by security guards this afternoon around 3:15 p.m., near the Chrysler Conner automobile plant. He was apparently attempting to get back to his childhood home.

Sekou's son Jamal said his dad -- a decorated Army veteran and former Olympic gold metal boxing champ out of the famed Kronk Gym in Detroit -- has mental health issues.

"He's one of those guys that came out of that golden era of mid-80s boxing," Jamal said. "However, as we're finding out with football, boxing has these unfortunate side effects that repeated blows to the head brings on early onset dementia, which he's struggled with for about a decade now."

This isn't the first time Sekou has gone missing, either.

"We had to move him to a more secure facility as his condition has progressively worsened, that was referred to us by the Veterans Administration," Jamal said. "So, we moved him about a month ago after we discovered the previous facility that he was in was not secure enough for him."