Riverside Man Missing; Family Asks Public’s Help

Prince Edwards is an outgoing 87-year-old retiree who liked to go for a daily walk to the nearby McDonald’s or Winchell’s Donut House, where he would pass the time with other elderly men for a few hours before returning home.

But on Oct. 25, he vanished from his Riverside home.

Family members and authorities are now pleading for the public’s help in finding Edwards, who suffers from early stage Alzheimer’s disease.

The retired auto mechanic was last seen at his home on the city’s east side, where he lived with a grandniece.

“She went to go wash the dishes in the kitchen, and turned around and he was gone,” said Alverta Edwards, his daughter-in-law.

Edwards, whose home is in the 4400 block of Angelo Street, liked to walk every day, and would often be gone for hours. So at first relatives were not concerned.

“He’s a very outgoing man for his age, very vibrant,” Alverta Edwards said. “He always went out, and he always came back. His favorite thing he liked to do was walking, and he knew where he was going.”

But after two days of frantic searching and checking at his regular hangouts, family members went to police, who searched the area.

Edwards was also entered into a nationwide missing-persons database. In the days and weeks following, family members have handed out fliers, and local hospitals, homeless shelters, the coroner’s office and the Department of Justice have all been contacted.

“There’s no progress,” said Riverside Police Officer Felix Medina. “He’s still missing, and the family’s still very concerned because of the early stages of Alzheimer’s.”

“I can’t put it into words, it’s so hard” to have a missing older relative, said Alverta Edwards. “He’s a very nice man.”

She said she and her husband, Danny, who is Edwards’ only child, had on several occasions thought they spotted the missing man, only to be disappointed. “When you’re looking for somebody so hard, everybody seems to look like him,” she said.

The Rev. James Baylark, president of the Riverside County chapter of the Southern California Christian Leadership Conference, organized a news conference on Tuesday evening to spread the word.

“We just basically are pleading with the community to help us find Mr. Edwards,” Baylark said. “Because he does have Alzheimer’s, and we don’t know where he’s at right now or with whom he may be living, so it’s an all-out plea throughout Southern California to help us find Mr. Edwards.”

Edwards is described as African American, 5-foot-11, about 190 pounds, brown eyes, balding, with gray hair. He usually wears a ball cap.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Riverside police at (909) 787-7911.