80-year-old Phoenix man found dead 3 months after going missing

An 80-year-old Phoenix man who went missing over three months ago has died, authorities announced Tuesday.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Stanley Avelos was found dead.

Avelos, who was diagnosed with dementia, was the subject of a SAFE Alert issued on June 10.

He had last been seen driving eastbound on Olive Avenue near 47th Avenue shortly before 9:15 a.m. Two hours earlier, he had left his home near Carefree Highway and Seventh Avenue to buy cigarettes, authorities said.

No details about the cause of his death were made available.

SAFE Alerts have replaced Silver Alerts in Arizona as a way to spread the word about missing persons who are 65 and older and missing persons who have dementia or developmental/cognitive disabilities.

This is an updated version of a story originally published on June 10, 2026.

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