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Human remains found in Ormond Beach during search for missing dementia patient

Human remains were found Wednesday in a wooded area of Ormond Beach, police said.

The remains were found about 9 a.m. behind Tomoka Meadows during a search for a missing dementia patient who wandered away from a nursing home, police said.

The remains are those of an unknown male.

William Cox, 82, was last seen three weeks ago. He has mild dementia and wandered away from the Grand Villas Assisted Living Facility on Nova Road, a block from where the remains were found.

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“We’ve done numerous searches and we come up to that area,” said Officer Keith Walker of the Ormond Beach Police Department. “We’ve done numerous searches (by) air and we’ve searched the lakes.”

Walker said bloodhounds have also been used in the search, which recently expanded.

Nearby resident Leo Valentia said nobody goes into the woods because of snakes and other wildlife.

“Unless somebody took a walk back there and a gator got to him,” he said.

Another resident, Taylor Walters, said the situation is scary.

“It’s quiet back here. You don’t know if it’s the older gentleman earlier in the week who went missing,” she said.

No other details were released.