Mexican, 76, Found Safe After 23 Hours Wandering Streets

An elderly man from Mexico, who is visiting his family in Huntington Park for the holidays, was found safe Sunday morning after he had apparently wandered the streets for almost 23 hours, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies said.

Augustine Urenda, 76, was walking near the corner of Alameda Street and Firestone Boulevard, 20 blocks from his family’s home, when deputies found him about 8 a.m., Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Kathryn Nielsen said.

“He was able to communicate only that he was cold and hungry,” Nielsen said. Urenda had been listed on police reports as “senile” and unable to talk because of a surgical hole in his throat that enables him to breathe.

Paramedics examined Urenda at the scene and released him to his family. The Sheriff’s Department has been unable to determine where Urenda spent the night.