Bellefontaine Police Chief Chris Marlow says a missing endangered adult reported Friday morning has been found safe.
According to Chief Marlow, just before 4 a.m. Friday, May 22, personnel at Mary Rutan Hospital notified the Bellefontaine Police Department that a male patient had left the hospital on his own without being properly discharged.
Officers responded to the man’s residence on West Brown Avenue and determined that William Bayless had not returned home.
Deputies from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office and troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol assisted in the search efforts.
Police then entered Bayless into LEADS as a missing endangered adult, issuing a Silver Alert through the Bellefontaine Police Department.
Shortly after the alert was issued, Bayless was located safe after making his way to a friend’s home.
The Silver Alert has since been cancelled, and police say there is no further investigation at this time.
During the investigation, officials say a media outlet incorrectly reported that Bayless had left a medical care facility on Brown Avenue, apparently confusing his home address with the hospital’s location.
Editor’s note: The media outlet referenced above was from the Dayton area.
