Found safe: Police locate missing 79-year-old man in Moore County

Searches started overnight and continued early Monday for Joseph Daniel Motes, who was located at 5:30 a.m. Authorities said Motes, who went missing from his home located on a dirt road surrounded by woods, is safe and is being transported to Moore Regional Hospital.

Motes is described as a white male with a white hair and a mustache. He was last seen at his home around 10 p.m. wearing blue pajama pants, a black t-shirt, white tennis shoes and glasses. Motes reportedly has dementia and Alzheimer’s and may have an altered mental status, according to authorities.

A ground search was immediately started by sheriff’s deputies and firefighters. In addition, a K-9 from the Southern Pines Police Department responded and assisted in the initial search Motes. A helicopter with the North Carolina State Highway was brought in after midnight to assist in the search using infrared cameras.