Police, loved ones searching for missing mentally disabled man

RACINE (WITI) -- A Racine family says 57-year-old Ruben Santos walked away from his assisted living facility around 2 a.m. Sunday, December 22nd and hasn't been seen since.

Loved ones are searching for Santos who suffered a brain injury leaving him mentally ill. His family says the man left True Life Homes wearing only socks, sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"We're holding on, keeping the hope that we're going to find him. He has to be somewhere. We're just hoping for the best," said Santos' daughter Rosa Ramos.

While the family is doing all they can to find Santos, they don't feel like they're receiving help from the assisted living facility.

"We wouldn't be going through this if they were following the rules," said Ramos. "He's supposed to be in strict supervision and they should have known that."

Santos has been living at True Life Homes on Byrd Ave. for the past six months. FOX6 reached out to the facility, but they declined to comment.

"They went to the bathroom and when she came out, he was gone. That's the information I have from the staff members," said Marta Santos, the man's other daughter. "I'm still looking for him the same way. That's all we can do is look for him because I don't know. I mean, I looked everywhere I can think, even garbage cans. I've been inside garbage cans looking for him."

The family of Ruben Santos has reached out to Racine police who are also working on locating the missing man.

Santos is described as Puerto Rican, 5’8″ tall weighing about 135 pounds with thinning hair and brown eyes. Santos only speaks Spanish. The man has been known to hide in bushes from police or parties searching for him in the past. Santos has no history of violent or aggressive behavior.

If you see Santos you are asked to call 911 immediately. If you have any other information about Santos’ whereabouts, you are asked to call the Racine Police Department Investigation Unit at 262-635-7756.