Search scaled back for missing 87-year-old man with dementia
A multi-agency search for missing 87-year-old man in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region is scaled back, six days after he failed to return from his morning walk.
Police have reduced the scope of a search for an 87-year-old man with dementia who went missing in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region. James Ballantyne was last seen on Saturday morning while out for a walk, about 230 kilometres southeast of Perth. Despite extensive efforts, including air and land searches, hope of finding him alive is dwindling.
The community of Wagin, a small town of 1,400 people, rallied to support the search, with locals and volunteers offering help and resources. Six days after his disappearance, authorities have decided to scale back the operation, with external resources returning to Perth and the search now focusing on a local inquiry. Family and police have appreciated the community's support, though they acknowledge the grim prospects of finding Mr Ballantyne alive.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
