LARGO, Fla. — The family of a missing 87-year-old man is asking for the public’s help as they try to stay hopeful their loved one will come home soon.
“The closer it gets to Christmas, the harder it’s getting,” said Elena Mita, the granddaughter of Petro Kuqo. "I can’t even imagine having it, seeing my grandma there, and my grandpa not being next to her."
WATCH: Family continues search for 87-year-old man in Largo still missing after 10 days
Now one day has grown to ten.
Kuqo was last seen on Dec. 12, leaving his home around 9 a.m. on Oak Trail West.
"He walked out of his apartment while everyone else in the family was sleeping, and he already drank his morning coffee, and he just walked out maybe thinking he was going for a walk, and no one has seen him since,” said Mita.
Largo Police said he’s been diagnosed with dementia and was last seen wearing a grey pajama-type shirt, dark grey sweatpants, and black shoes. We’re told he doesn’t speak English and didn’t take his cellphone, money, or ID with him.
“It’s concerning that it’s been 10 days now, and there’s multiple camera footage that catch him walking within the complex, and all from the different angles, but nothing catching him leaving,” said Mita.
Tampa Bay 28 tagged along as the group We Are The Essentials searched nearby areas on Monday.
Largo Police said they’ve conducted organized, coordinated search efforts, including on-the-ground grid searches, canine deployments, a thorough review of surveillance footage, and marine and aerial searches.
"Checking the shorelines because most of this is surrounded by water, so that’s kind of important in case he did get into the water, but we’ve had instances where people have just sat down next to a bush or laid down under a tree. People have gone into canals,” said Shelley Croft, the Treasurer and Volunteer Search and Recovery Investigator with We Are The Essentials. “You have to check every possible scenario."
Amid the search, Mita reminded people that any official notices will come from Largo PD.
"I was notified by my family that someone has made a fake Facebook profile named Katrina pretending to be a family member,” said Mita. "No one in my family is named that, and I verified by doing a reverse image search that they’re using someone’s photo from an old article from a couple years ago.”
Largo Police encouraged people to review any surveillance or doorbell cameras they may have.
If you think you may have seen Kuqo or have any information, you are urged to call Largo Police at 727-587-6730.
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