A 61-year-old man with autism who had been missing in Dallas for nearly two weeks has been found safe, bringing an end to a search that began after he became separated from his sisters during a trip to the city.
Daryl “Petie” Foreman was found Wednesday at a train station near UT Southwestern, Dallas police said. According to his sister, Sonia Foreman, officers were conducting a security check when they saw Foreman sitting on a bench and checked his name.
The search immediately changed once officers discovered that he was listed as a missing person. Dallas police’s missing persons unit was contacted, along with UT Southwestern Police, and Foreman was eventually reunited with his family at UT Southwestern.
Foreman disappeared during a trip to Dallas
Foreman had traveled from Arkansas with his sisters, Cathy Lewis and Sonia Foreman, for Comic Con at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
The family became separated on September 11 while Lewis was getting their event badges. Foreman needed to use the restroom, and Lewis directed him toward it while she finished getting the tickets.
When Foreman did not return, the sisters began looking for him and contacted convention center security. They later learned that the restroom area had multiple exits, leading the family to believe he may have become turned around and left through another route.
A missing-person report was subsequently filed with the Dallas Police Department.
Family remained in the area during the search
The disappearance prompted an extended search as the sisters stayed in the Dallas area hoping for information that could lead them back to their brother.
Dallas police had previously described Foreman as potentially confused and in need of assistance. Authorities had also released details about what he was wearing when he was last seen, including a blue Walmart cap, a black shirt featuring Super Mario, black slacks and blue tennis shoes.
The case was added to Dallas police’s endangered missing list as officers and family members continued trying to locate him.
A routine security check led to the reunion
After nearly two weeks without knowing where Foreman was, the family finally received the news they had been waiting for.
Officers at the train station near UT Southwestern encountered Foreman during a security check. A name check identified him as the missing man, allowing police to connect him with the ongoing case.
Dallas police’s missing persons unit and UT Southwestern Police were then notified, and Foreman was reunited with his sisters at UT Southwestern.
Officials have not publicly provided further details about where Foreman had been during the time he was missing or how long he had been at the train station.
For his family, however, the search ended with the outcome they had been hoping for: Foreman was found safe and brought back to them after nearly two weeks apart.
