KY KY - James “Garfield” Grubbs, 70, didn't make it to nursing home after release from jail, Bob’s Creek community, near Cawood, 25 Jan 2026

[GuyfromCanada]

MISSING PERSON ALERT

Today, Kentucky State Police Post 10 Harlan received a call regarding a missing person. Tpr. Jake Spurlock responded and began an investigation.

James “Garfield” Grubbs, age 70, was last seen on foot in the Bob’s Creek community near Cawood in Harlan County on Sunday the 25th at approximately 5:00 PM. He was wearing a light jacket, jogging pants, and a t-shirt.

If you have any information that could help, please contact KSP Post 10 Harlan at 606-573-3131.

Please share to help bring Mr. Grubbs home safely.

https://www.facebook.com/KSPTrooperJacobs/posts/pfbid0Ge9koxPYrEKdnqiuAm248wyK7BU1oZo6xzMyahf17g6tg5mibW3hUNamMW7g3o26l

KSP searching for missing 70-year-old

Kentucky State Police Post 10 is searching for a missing 70-year-old man who was last seen on Sunday, Jan. 25.

www.wkyt.com

Lisa Grubbs, James Grubbs’s daughter, said he had been a resident at The Laurels (nursing home) for about 10 years. Lisa Grubbs said she hadn’t heard from her father since he was dropped off at Cawood after, according to her, “getting out of jail for trespassing the hospital.”

More at Missing persons alert issued for man last seen at Bobs Creek - Harlan Enterprise

 

[GuyfromCanada]

Who dropped James off at Cawood? Was it someone from the jail staff? Cawood has a population of about 700 people. The distance from Cawood to Harlan is about 10 miles Google Maps, which is 3+ hours walking distance (probably more for James due to his age and knee issue mentioned in the article above). I really hope that he is safe somewhere.

 

[GuyfromCanada]

Still appears to be missing.

 

[GraceG]

Who dropped James off at Cawood? Was it someone from the jail staff? Cawood has a population of about 700 people. The distance from Cawood to Harlan is about 10 miles Google Maps, which is 3+ hours walking distance (probably more for James due to his age and knee issue mentioned in the article above). I really hope that he is safe somewhere.

If you read the bottom link in the opening post for this thread it states:

The Harlan County Detention Center does have record of a James. G. Grubbs who was released on his own recognizance on Jan. 24. He had been incarcerated for third-degree trespassing. “Instead of walking to Harlan when released from jail, he went the opposite way,” Lisa Grubbs said. “

Read more at: Missing persons alert issued for man last seen at Bobs Creek - Harlan Enterprise

The Detention Center is NOT in Harlan. The Harland County Detention Center is in Evert, KY, which is 14 miles EAST of Harlan, and considerably Northeast of Cawood. So his daughter's statement makes no sense. First, the distance from the Harland County Detention Center in Evert to Harlan is 14 miles so NOT walkable, and if he went the opposite way, as she stated, he would NOT have ended up in Cawood. He'd actually have to travel THROUGH Harlan to go south to Cawood. Why would his daughter have even thought he would have walked there? The County Detention Center to Cawood is over 25 miles - he would have had to gotten a ride IMO.

Google Search

 

[Serononin]

If you read the bottom link in the opening post for this thread it states:

The Harlan County Detention Center does have record of a James. G. Grubbs who was released on his own recognizance on Jan. 24. He had been incarcerated for third-degree trespassing. “Instead of walking to Harlan when released from jail, he went the opposite way,” Lisa Grubbs said. “

Read more at: Missing persons alert issued for man last seen at Bobs Creek - Harlan Enterprise

The Detention Center is NOT in Harlan. The Harland County Detention Center is in Evert, KY, which is 14 miles EAST of Harlan, and considerably Northeast of Cawood. So his daughter's statement makes no sense. First, the distance from the Harland County Detention Center in Evert to Harlan is 14 miles so NOT walkable, and if he went the opposite way, as she stated, he would NOT have ended up in Cawood. He'd actually have to travel THROUGH Harlan to go south to Cawood. Why would his daughter have even thought he would have walked there? The County Detention Center to Cawood is over 25 miles - he would have had to gotten a ride IMO.

Google Search

Perhaps his daughter lives some distance away and isn't familiar with the area?

Gotta say, if I were running a nursing home and knew that one of my long-term residents was about to be released from jail, I'd be arranging for somebody to pick the guy up and bring him home. But I guess that's assuming an adequate staffing level, which often isn't easy to maintain in the care sector

 

[charliethecat]

'Gotta say, if I were running a nursing home and knew that one of my long-term residents was about to be released from jail, I'd be arranging for somebody to pick the guy up and bring him home. But I guess that's assuming an adequate staffing level, which often isn't easy to maintain in the care sector'

This seems extraordinarily 'careless' by his carers and I am not sure it can ethically be explained away by staffing difficulties. Also isn't there a duty of care by those releasing him, even if on his own recognisance, to ensure safety after leaving. If he was in a nursing home because of say dementia or other possibly age-related psychological issues then questions about the conduct of both organisations would be in order.

 

[KBlackRabbit]

This is disturbing. He’s been in a nursing home for 10 years so he can’t live independently. How did he get to the hospital? Why no apparent arrangements to bring him home? Why wasn’t the family contacted? Did the cops just arrest and dump an elderly man who possibly has dementia?

It looks like everyone dropped the ball and an elderly man with cognitive problems and thin clothes was abandoned in bad weather.

 

[Rikissa]

Perhaps his daughter lives some distance away and isn't familiar with the area?

Gotta say, if I were running a nursing home and knew that one of my long-term residents was about to be released from jail, I'd be arranging for somebody to pick the guy up and bring him home. But I guess that's assuming an adequate staffing level, which often isn't easy to maintain in the care sector

'Gotta say, if I were running a nursing home and knew that one of my long-term residents was about to be released from jail, I'd be arranging for somebody to pick the guy up and bring him home. But I guess that's assuming an adequate staffing level, which often isn't easy to maintain in the care sector'

This seems extraordinarily 'careless' by his carers and I am not sure it can ethically be explained away by staffing difficulties. Also isn't there a duty of care by those releasing him, even if on his own recognisance, to ensure safety after leaving. If he was in a nursing home because of say dementia or other possibly age-related psychological issues then questions about the conduct of both organisations would be in order.

Has there been information published that the nursing home had been informed about him going to be release from jail? If they had been informed in advance of his release, then, yes they are in fault, but if they had not been informed, how was they to know about it? Before blaming the nursing home of 'carelessness' I would like to have proof of them knowing about him going to be released, and not arranging for pickup. How can they be expected to do something, if they don't get information about it happening?

It would have been the detention center's responsibility to make sure that there was some kind of transport arranged home when "James G. Grubbs who was released on his own recognizance on Jan. 24" (citing post #4). James was 70 years old, and appears to have some kind of problems. Did they just let him leave, and expect that he was capable to arrange his own transport home?

 

[KBlackRabbit]

I found a number of news reports about KY hospitals dumping very sick patients including this one here.

This one is of a man who needed medical help for heat stroke and was mistreated by staff and arrested.

I don’t trust the system there. Grubbs may have needed medical help, they may have taken his Medicaid money but didn’t treat him, had him arrested like the man in the last story to get rid of him, and just effectively dumped him.