PHOENIX — Two men with special needs from the Tohono O’odham Nation have been found safe, four days after they went missing while visiting the Arizona State Fair.
Thomas Lewis, 61, and Phillip Pancho, 52, were identified by family members on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. They were found in Mesa and Tempe.
Since Friday, the men's' families had been searching for the pair in and around 19th Avenue and McDowell Road. Friends, family and tribal members joined them in their search for the pair who have “diminished mental capacity.”
Tuesday night, the Tohono O’odham Police Department notified Pancho’s family he had been found in Tempe near 14th and 52nd Streets.
Paramedics had taken Pancho to Saint Luke's Hospital in Tempe on Sunday. He had been found at a bus stop having a seizure. But since he didn’t have an identification card, and his memory fades away after a seizure, he was not able to communicate with hospital staff and he was listed as a John Doe.
On Oct. 24, hospital staff recognized Pancho from the missing person's flyer and called authorities. The family identified him that night.
“As soon as I saw his face, I had so much joy, so much relief,” Pamela Johnson told 12News about reuniting with her brother. “I was so grateful.”
Johnson said because of her brother’s medical condition, he was not able to tell them how he and Lewis went missing. Pancho did recognize his family, but he thought he was in Tucson, his sister said.
“He didn’t know what was going on,” Johnson said. “He knew he was in the hospital but didn't know how he got there.”
Lewis’ family was notified he had been found at an apartment complex around 9 a.m. by the Mesa Police Department on Wednesday near State Route 60 and Ext Road.
The property manager called police reporting a man was sitting on the bench outside the leasing office, who had been there since Tuesday night, Mesa police told 12news.
When officers arrived, they identified him as Lewis who had been reported missing. The family was called to pick him up.
“As soon as I saw him, he was smiling,” said Relanda Antone about his grandfather. “I think he was just happy to be with family. He recognized us right away. As soon as I embraced him with a hug, we were both in tears.”
Antone told12News that the men were together Sunday night when Pancho had the seizure at the Tempe bus stop. Lewis told his family he flagged someone on the street to get Pancho help. While Pancho was taken away by paramedics, Lewis was left behind.
The apartment complex Lewis was found is nine miles from the bus stop.
“He felt so sorry, he felt bad,” Antone said. “I told him it was not his fault, but he was happy he found familiar faces.”
Lewis was hungry and thirsty, but overall, in good health, Antone said. He couldn’t wait to lay down on his own bed.
Families want accountability
Given Lewis' and Pancho’s medical condition, the families are unsure how they ended up about 20 miles from the Arizona State Fair. It’s also unclear why they were unsupervised at the fair.
The men were at the fair as part of a day trip with the Tas Tonlik Ki day program from the Tohono O’odham Nation Division of Behavioral Health, which works with “individuals afflicted with a serious mental illness, developmental disability, or a co-occurring disorder,” that focuses on helping patients socialize, develop coping skills, and vocational rehabilitation activities, according to its website.
The Nation reported the two men were last seen together around noon on Oct. 20th and did not meet up with their group when they were scheduled to leave at 2:30 p.m.
The men’s families told 12News they were not notified about their disappearance until hours later after the group had left the state fair.
Phoenix police told 12News it was Thomas’ family who reported him missing Saturday at 1:30 a.m. The Arizona Department of Public Safety was contacted in person at the fairgrounds and completed a search of the area, the department said.
After the search came back negative, police were called to report the missing person, the agency said. The department could not locate a missing report filed for Pancho.
The Tohono O’odham Nation issued a missing report bulleting for both men on Oct. 24, three days after the men vanished.
The Nation did not respond to 12News' questions about the sequence of events, but in a statement, Chairman Verlon Jose said, “Although the vast majority of day trip outings this Nation program organizes take place without any issues, we always review our policies and procedures if there is an incident.”
“As such, we will be taking appropriate steps to try and ensure that what happened with Mr. Lewis and Mr. Pancho does not happen again,” the statement said.
“I want the program to be accountable for their actions,” Antone said. “I want there to be some protocols. They should have been better looked after and had a better system and making sure everyone is accounted for.”
Lewis went home Wednesday afternoon. He was looking forward to having a home-cooked meal, but because of the many days without eating, he had Burger King on the way home, his granddaughter told 12News.
Pancho was expected to be released from the hospital and go home Wednesday afternoon.
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