A search for a missing South Carolina man was called off after the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office declared him “endangered.”
Albert Smalls Jr. was discovered in Lexington and sent to a hospital for evaluation as a precaution, the sheriff’s office stated Sunday.
There was no information available on how Smalls was found.
The sheriff’s office publicly reported Smalls missing on Saturday. Smalls’ family informed the sheriff’s office that the 81-year-old Vance resident was last seen leaving the Lowe’s Home Improvement shop in Orangeburg about 4 p.m. Friday.
Deputies were notified that Smalls’ blue Ford F-150 pickup vehicle, with the South Carolina license plate “SXE731,” was observed near Ridgeville at 6:45 p.m. Friday. That’s approximately 50 miles from Lowe’s.
The sheriff’s office said that Smalls’ bank card was used in Georgetown around 10 a.m. on Saturday. That’s more than 100 miles from Lowe’s and over 70 miles from Ridgeville, where his pickup was last spotted.
According to family members, Smalls experiences intermittent memory loss, which is why he is considered endangered by the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office did not specify if foul play was suspected in Smalls’ disappearance.