Republic man returned home after disappearing
A 79 year old Republic man was found after being missing for six hours Sunday.
Troopers from the Michigan State Police Negaunee Post say Benjamin Suomi left home at 689 Second St. in his 1999 Ford Explorer around 9 or 10 a.m. At 11 a.m. Suomi’s wife called police and said her husband hadn’t returned home.
She also told them that Suomi suffered from the onset of dementia. She believed he was dressed for conditions but wasn’t carrying any identification or his cell phone.
At 4:30 p.m., as police were contacting the media to air a story a passerby located Suomi standing outside his vehicle on Rapid River Road in Republic. Suomi had driven down the road, became stuck and got a flat tire.
Troopers found Suomi in good health and returned him to his home where they released him into his wife’s care.
Michigan State Police were assisted by Marquette County Search and Rescue.