Man with Alzheimer's, subject of Silver Alert, 'froze to death' on porch near his old home



Albert Kelly



MILWAUKEE -- A 79-year-old Milwaukee man who was the subject of a Silver Alert on Tuesday, March 5 was found dead hours later. Albert Kelly suffered from Alzheimer's disease, and was found on a stranger's porch.

On Monday, March 4, Kelly walked away from his home near Sherman Boulevard and Lisbon Avenue and did not return.

On Tuesday, a statewide Silver Alert was issued for Kelly around 11 a.m.

Hours later, the medical examiner said a passerby noticed Kelly's body on a porch near 14th and Burleigh and called 911.

Officials with the Milwaukee Fire Department responded to the scene, where they found Kelly unresponsive. The medical examiner's report said Kelly had a jacket with him, but did not have it on. He was not dressed appropriately for the weather.



Family members said Kelly also suffered from dementia. He used to live near the address he was found at in the 70s, and family members said they believe that's why he ended up in that area, according to the medical examiner's report.

The man who owns that home said he wishes he could've done more.

"I'm feet away from a man who froze to death. I was here. I was here all morning. I was here that evening, and nobody ever knocked on the door. I had no indication he was out here," said Rodney Robinson. "I came out and got my mail at 12. Nobody was here. The mailman would've saw him. I would've saw him. He wasn't there, but then 2, 2:30, the paramedics pull up. I just wish I could've done something."

Alicia Meyer



Kelly's neighbors said despite his condition, he was always out and about -- helping others.

"He would just say, 'Walking and talking.' That's always what he would say. He was just a very, very sweet man. He just wanted to do what he wanted to do, and I think that's the difficulty with dementia," said Alicia Meyer, neighbor.

The medical examiner's report said Kelly had been known to wander before, and had gotten lost in the past. The report listed the preliminary manner of death as an accident.