HONOLULU (KHON2) — An Ewa Beach family is pleading for help as they search for an 84-year-old man who’s been missing since Monday, May 15. They said he has dementia and may have wandered off in the Kapolei area.

The family has posted flyers as they search for Frank Pangelinan who left home Monday afternoon to go to Home Depot in Kapolei. They found his car in the parking lot but there’s been no trace of him since.

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“We’re just pleading with the public to still be on the lookout for Dad. This is the third afternoon that he’s been missing and we’re just hoping and praying that he’ll come back to us safely,” said Patricia Arde, Pangelinan’s daughter.

Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. The family said he has wandered off before so they had taken precautions.

  • Missing person Frank Pangelinan. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
    Missing person Frank Pangelinan. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
  • Missing person Frank Pangelinan on right. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
    Missing person Frank Pangelinan on right. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
  • Missing person Frank Pangelinan. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
    Missing person Frank Pangelinan. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
  • Missing person Frank Pangelinan on right. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
    Missing person Frank Pangelinan on right. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
  • Missing person Frank Pangelinan on right. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
    Missing person Frank Pangelinan on right. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
  • Missing person Frank Pangelinan on left. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
    Missing person Frank Pangelinan on left. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
  • Missing person Frank Pangelinan on left. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
    Missing person Frank Pangelinan on left. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
  • Missing person Frank Pangelinan on right. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)
    Missing person Frank Pangelinan on right. Pangelinan is five-foot-eight and weighs 137 pounds. (Patricia Arde)

The family said they had put an Apple AirTag, which is a tracking device, in the missing man’s wallet, but for some reason, he took it out and left it in the car.

“That is the most difficult on my end because I know in my heart that I really emphasized to him, repeating and repeating that do not take this out,” said Geronimo Arde, Pangelinan’s son-in-law.

Experts said GPS trackers are good but those with dementia sometimes feel they don’t need them. It might be best to not let the person know they have it on.

“There are also some GPS trackers you can wear around like a bracelet that are very difficult to come off so that might be one way,” said Dr. Gina Fujikami, a geriatrician who is also a board member at the Hawaii Alzheimer’s Association.

Dr. Fujikami added that there are also medical bracelets with their name and emergency contact. She also said getting the person to stop driving is difficult but at times necessary for their own good.

“If it comes down to taking away the keys, even a little bit of some white lies or white fibbing to keep the person safe. A lot of my families have to resort to that,” Fujikami.

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The family is asking anyone who spots Pangelinan to stop him and call the police right away.