76-year-old found unresponsive near assisted living home in Dunn in need of dialysis machine

Search teams found Joseph Hardy Matthews in a field about a quarter-mile from the facility in the 200 block of Jonesboro Road on Friday. Medical teams gave Matthews first aid before taking him to the hospital.

Family members said Matthews was found with yellow jacket stings and fire ants covered his face and torso. Matthews also had a massive heart attack, causing his kidney and liver to struggle, according to family.

Authorities said Matthews walked away from the building around 11 a.m. on Thursday, prompting a Silver Alert to be issued.

First responders searched through the night. Previously, Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats said law enforcement is worried the heat may affect Matthews' health.

"Him being dehydrated [and] sitting down somewhere and we just don't find him -- that's our biggest fear," said Coats.

Coats said he believes Matthews walked out a back door of the assisted living home before setting off the alarm. The building went into lockdown and crews started searching. Helicopters, K9s and troopers have searched as far as 300 meters.

"We're mainly searching all the wooded areas and the ponds," said Coats. "We've got cars up where his wife lived [and] where he lived up on Christian Light Road."

Coats said this isn't the first time Matthews has gone missing.

"One search we did a while back, we looked for the man for four days and we finally found him," said Coats.

The Silver Alert for Matthews was canceled.

Now, family members said Matthews' kidneys shut down on Sunday and he is in need of a dialysis machine. Family members said that hospital staff have called Sunday and Monday and haven't been able to locate a machine for Matthews.