South Florida family desperate to find 81-year-old mom suffering from dementia
FORT LAUDERDALE - Have you seen Carol Tormey? The 81-year-old mom, suffering from dementia, has been missing since Sunday night. Her family is desperate to find her.
Family members fanned out across Fort Lauderdale on Friday, passing out flyers in their search for her.
It is a mystery as relatives say she left her Fort Lauderdale home in a pickup truck she had not driven in 2 years and they do not know why she left or where she was headed.
They say information from the air tag in her vehicle shows that she drove around Fort Lauderdale and up to Deerfield Beach and then headed back south to Dania Beach before ending up in Miramar.
As he passed out flyers near S.E. 15th Ave. near the 17th St. Causeway, John Tormey spoke about his mother.
"My dad woke up around midnight Sunday and noticed the car was gone and so her called me and my sister and my sister called me. We tracked her vehicle from Fort Lauderdale to Deerfield Beach to Fort Lauderdale and back down to Dania Beach and Hallandale Beach and then to Miramar at Miramar Parkway and Southwest 172nd Avenue where we lost track off it at 12:44 when the air tags in her keys, vehicle and purse were somehow disabled," he said.
"Police have searched there and around there and have found no trace of her," he said, adding the truck has not been found.
"She had dementia so she can not verbalize if you go up to her," he said. "If you see her take a picture of her and call the number on the flyer or Fort Lauderdale police or 911," he said.
"Imagine if you did not see your mother for 4 days and you know she is out there somewhere," he said. "We miss her and know there are good people out there in this world and we hope she is out there with good people."
Family members broke in to 6 teams in their search that is also taking them to hospitals and medical facilities.
Carol Tormey is about 5'3" tall and 150 pounds.
Her family says she was traveling in a 2018, black Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck with a Florida tag of GYN M49. In a silver alert, police said she may be in the Miramar area.
Also passing out flyers, the daughter Kelly Busch said, "My mom was an amazing person. She was always very positive and upbeat. She was diagnosed with dementia 2 years and even though that has been very difficult that has never broken her positivity and kindness to people. We fear that something very tragic has happened to her obviously. It is the worst thing that can. You think this can't be something that is really happening. It is unimaginable pain."
Tyler Busch, the granddaughter of Carol Tormey, said "We would like to say thank you to the community for helping pass out flyers. We are hearing from people who we have not spoken to in years. We are asking for their future help as well."
Fort Lauderdale police say if you can help find Carol Tormey, you should call them.
John Tormey says you can also call the number on the flyer of (305) 978-0940.
"I think it is possible that she met someone," he said. "I don't believe she could have been driving that truck for four hours by herself and all three of the air tags in her vehicle and purse and with her keys were disabled at 12:44 last Monday morning."