Elderly man missing 3 days found safe, official says

82-year-old had gone missing Wednesday afternoon

FITCHBURG, Wis. — An elderly Fitchburg man who was missing for three days was found safe Saturday, an official said.

The Fitchburg Police Department said Saturday afternoon that 82-year-old Guillermo “Gill” DeVenecia was found at about 1 p.m. by volunteer searchers.

Police said DeVenecia was found standing in a bean field near Whalen and Mutchler roads in Fitchburg. He was responsive but dehydrated and was reunited with family.

“It is unclear how DeVenecia ended up in the field or if he had been continuing to walk in the area since going missing,” police wrote in an alert Saturday.

Police said Wednesday that DeVenecia had last been seen at 2 p.m. on the 2100 block of Heywood Circle in Fitchburg. Authorities and volunteers searched for multiple days to locate the man, who suffers from dementia and it was believed he’d wandered away from home.

In addition to the volunteers who helped in the search, Fitchburg police were assisted by the Fitchburg Fire Department, mounted horse and K-9 units from the Madison Police Department and the Air-One Helicopter from Rockford, Illinois.