Authorities Search For 75-Year-Old Who Wandered Away From LA Hospital

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Family members are asking for the public's assistance in finding a 75-year-old man who went missing early Tuesday morning.

Michael Patrick Farrell, of Frazier Park, was last seen around 1:30 a.m. at County/USC Medical Center, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Farrell was taken to a treatment room, where he wandered off.

Sheriff's Sgt. Richard Pena said Farrell was arrested on Halloween for suspicion of driving under the influence.

Farrell was then held at the Men's Central Jail until he was dropped off on Tuesday at County/USC's emergency room.

"He was released. From there, we drove him over to County/USC so he could take care of whatever medical problems he had. They accepted him into their treatment center and from there, he wandered off," said Pena.

The hospital confirms the patient left a triage area without being seen or treated.

Farrell's sister said via phone that they searched Boyle Heights and the downtown Los Angeles area for her brother, who suffers from seizures and slight dementia.

The sister also said that she questions why her brother was held for five to six days in custody and dropped off at the hospital without family notification.

"If somebody has a medical condition, we just can't send them out in the street and say, 'Go fend for yourself.' So it's extremely common for deputies to transport somebody to a local medical center or a hospital to take care of their condition," said Pena.

Farrell was described as 6 feet 1 inches tall, 170 pounds, with gray hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a Hawaiian-style, button-down shirt with a marlin pattern, gray pants and brown shoes.

Anyone with information on Farrell's whereabouts was asked to contact the sheriff's Headquarters Bureau at (323) 267-4800.