Rodney Larsen, 64, was put in the Rosewood Retirement Community for rehabilitation after having a stroke.
Larsen's daughter, Joanna, went to visit him daily, but on Oct. 10, just five days after being transferred to the retirement community from Metroplex Hospital, her daily visits became a nightmare.
"I went in his room and he wasn't in his room, I went to speak to the nurse practitioner in charge and none of the staff were aware that he was missing," Joanna said.
The incident sent the staff, Larsen and her fiancé into a panic.
"The whole facility was scrambling inside and outside of the nursing home," Larsen said.
After searching the entire facility, Larsen was told by a staff member that he got on the Hop and went to Walmart in Harker Heights.
The claim was something that the Hill Country Transit District confirmed in a statement that never happened:
"Hill Country Transit District (The HOP) received a call from the Rosewood nursing home last week asking us if a certain individual thought to have run away from the facility had gotten on one of our buses. The HOP was able to assist with the search by providing the Rosewood nursing home a video from the bus that serves that facility. The video confirmed the individual did not get on the bus."
Both the Killeen and Harker Heights Police Departments were notified of the missing person and began to search the area to locate Rodney.
"Through this process, it may have taken about 45 minutes to an hour, but after they were able to track his phone, the police were able to find him," Joanna's Fiancé, Jonathan Adair said.
The Killeen Police Department released this statement Wednesday regarding the incident:
"On Wednesday, October 10, 2018, at approximately 4:57pm, Officers were dispatched to the Rosewood Retirement Community located at 5700 E Central Texas Expy in reference to a missing person. Officers were told that a missing male left the facility and was unable to be located. Officers obtained description information about the missing male and the information was broadcasted to other officers. At approximately 6:17 pm, the missing person was safely located in the area of Veteran's Memorial Blvd and 2nd Street."
"When they found my father, he was badly sunburned and scared," Joanna said. "They failed his family, they failed me and they failed him especially."
Central Texas News Now did reach out to the retirement community and were referred to their corporate office, they released this statement regarding the incident:
“Due to privacy laws, we cannot discuss any information related to a particular patient or resident. Our team at the Rosewood Retirement Community cares very deeply about the patients and residents who entrust us with their care. We have protocols and processes in place to respond to situations like this. In addition, we work closely with local authorities in situations as needed to ensure the best possible safety for our patients and residents. Our patients and residents are our highest priority, and we take matters like these very seriously.”
Larsen said as of now, they do have an attorney and will be seeking legal action. Her father was pulled from the facility and will be staying with Larsen until a new facility can be found.
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