AL AL - Reuben Barua Waithaka, 72, Endangered, judgement impaired, given ride from Timberline to wooded area off Hwy 25, Calera, 15 May 2025

[Unalienable Rights]

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02DXoyWzPfK4my1L1Mu4wVbR3onGePQ5KwZqbVuST428eZWkFuXL734nutac1jNwzKl&id=100064938570487

May 17, 2025

We are still actively searching for Mr. Waithaka in an extremely large wooded area off Hwy. 25 in Calera. We are also following up on tips and investigating the possibility that someone gave him a ride.

We are not requesting volunteer searchers enter the area. We have tracking K9s in the area again this morning and we need to keep the areas they are searching clear of people and vehicles.

The area is extremely large and has been extensively searched by helicopters, drones and search K9s.

We know that at least two individuals gave him a ride and that he was dropped off near the area we are searching. Our hope is that he was given a ride by someone else and not still in the wooded area.

Please call Calera PD if you have information.


(Note: In an earlier post, the PD asked for information about the driver of a blue SUV that gave him a ride. That driver has been identified. They are now investigating to determine if he was given another ride away from the area where he was dropped off.)

Calera Police looking for missing 72-year-old man

Reuben Barua Waithaka is 72. Police say he could be living with a condition that may impair his judgement.

www.wbrc.com

Missing and Endangered Person Alert issued for 72-year-old Calera man

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has issued a Missing and Endangered Person Alert for Reuben Barua Waithaka, a 72-year-old man who may be living with a condit

abc3340.com

 

[Unalienable Rights]

https://www.cbs42.com/news/calera-family-praying-for-safe-return-of-missing-grandfather-as-search-efforts-continue/

May 17, 2025

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Calera police said Waithaka was last seen walking away from a relative’s home in the Timberline subdivision around 11 a.m. on Thursday.

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He and his wife, Elizabeth Waithaka, are visiting from Nairobi, Kenya to see their first-born grandson graduate from Calera High School on Tuesday.

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Elizabeth Waithaka said her husband seemed somewhat confused when he stepped outside on Thursday morning and began walking. She said she had started to follow him but realized that she had left the door open. She rushed back to lock the door and said when she returned, he was gone.

*****
More in linked article.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“He doesn't have to be here, if he doesn't want to be here. We know this is too much for him,” Emily Ann Balua, Waithaka’s daughter, said tearfully.

It's been a dreadful emotional five days for Balua, her daughter and Waithaka’s granddaughter Elaine Westry.

"Uka Please this is hard for everybody. We miss you. We're looking for you and we're not going to stop until we find you,” Westry said.

Authorities look for missing man visiting Calera from Kenya, may have been given ride

Reuben Barua Waithaka was last seen Thursday morning in the area of Merion Drive in Calera.

www.wvtm13.com

 

[mlhenn]

Search continues for missing grandfather who traveled from Kenya for grandson’s graduation

Flyers bearing Waithaka’s photo and description have been posted in storefronts and throughout Timberline, as loved ones and community members continue to hope for his safe return.

www.wbrc.com

A search is still underway in Calera for a 72-year-old grandfather who disappeared nearly a week ago, just days before he was set to celebrate his grandson’s high school graduation.

Police say Waithaka may be confused or disoriented. Investigators believe at least two people gave him rides after he was last seen, but those leads have not helped locate him.

 

[realanastasia]

“He doesn't have to be here, if he doesn't want to be here. We know this is too much for him,” Emily Ann Balua, Waithaka’s daughter, said tearfully.

It's been a dreadful emotional five days for Balua, her daughter and Waithaka’s granddaughter Elaine Westry.

"Uka Please this is hard for everybody. We miss you. We're looking for you and we're not going to stop until we find you,” Westry said.

Authorities look for missing man visiting Calera from Kenya, may have been given ride

Reuben Barua Waithaka was last seen Thursday morning in the area of Merion Drive in Calera.

www.wvtm13.com

I feel terrible for the family and hope their loved one is found…but I am wondering if there’s anything specific about the home or living arrangement that might have been causing RW distress such that his daughter would say he “doesn’t have to be here if he doesn’t want to be here.”