By Khalida Sarwari
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a 73-year-old man with a medical condition who went missing earlier this week.
Friends of William Donald Moritz reported him missing Thursday after he failed to return home, according to the sheriff’s office. He was last seen on Tuesday walking away from his home in the Live Oak area of Santa Cruz near the beach.
Moritz does not have a history of walking away or going missing, but he has a medical condition that causes memory issues. At times he might not know where he is or what is happening around him, the sheriff’s office said.
Moritz is described as white, about 6 feet 3 inches tall, and between 200 and 205 pounds. He has receding gray hair, a white ponytail and a full 4- to 5-inch gray beard. He was last seen wearing a sweatshirt, blue jeans, sneakers and a T-shirt.
Anyone with information about Moritz’s whereabouts is asked to call the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office dispatch on either the 911 emergency line or at (831) 471-1121.