UPDATE Nov. 30, 1 a.m.: Cuque has been found safe, LAPD said.
The anxious family of a missing 74-year-old Los Angeles man with dementia is asking for the public's help in finding him.
Alejandro Cabrera Cuque went missing early Monday morning, and his worried wife is the last person who saw him, said Elizabeth Cabrera, Cuque's daughter.
Cuque walked out of his home around 4 a.m. Monday wearing a blue pullover sweater, pink beanie, gray sweatpants and gray Crocs.
The family only noticed he was gone when Cabrera was leaving for work around 7:30 a.m. that same morning.
His wife, Gabina, is overcome by sorrow, Cabrera said.
"When I see my mom, it's really difficult," Cabrera said, fighting back tears. "Last night she kept blaming herself."
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The morning when he wandered off, he kept saying, "I just have to go," Cabrera said. This is not uncommon for Cuque, whose dementia symptoms have worsened as he recovers from a recent stroke.
Some days Cuque thinks he doesn't live in his home and says he has to go to work, even though he has not worked in the last 10 years.
"He has days when he's 75 percent coherent" and others where he is "very confused" Cabrera said.
Cuque has wandered off in the past, but his wife was always there to go get him.
On Monday, however, Cuque got back in bed with his wife, but left after waiting for her to go back to sleep.
Police told the family Cuque was seen by a Metro operator getting off at a stop near Atlantic Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue in Compton.
This was strange, Cabrera said, because Cuque left the house with no money.
Cuque has a tendency to collect spare change, but on the morning he left, he took the change out of his pocket and put it on the dresser.
The Metro operator told police Cuque was asking for directions to the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he was treated for his stroke, Cabrera said.
Cuque had not been admitted to the hospital as of 5:41 p.m. Tuesday, said Myriam Mendoza, a clerk at the hospital.
Cuque has not had any contact with family members, who are all searching for him, Cabrera said.
The 5-foot, 6-inch tall Cuque suffers from arthritis in both knees and is on medication for blood pressure, cholesterol and his dementia.
The family is "trying to keep the faith," as they pray for Cuque's safe return home, Cabrera said.
"We're trying to be as strong as possible," she said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Roman of the Los Angeles Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 213-996-1800.
