South Fulton County

Body ID'd as man with Alzheimer's who wandered away from senior home

SOUTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Police say a man who wandered away earlier this week from the senior home where he was a resident has died.

Hapeville police said Thursday that family members had positively identified the body of Ozzie Murphy, 60.

He walked away from Hapeville Manor Assisted Living Home in the 600 block of Coleman Street in Hapeville on Monday

Murphy had Alzheimer's disease and a serious case of dementia.

Police say he was found Tuesday morning and taken to a hospital, where he died.

Murphy's cause of death is under investigation by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office.

Channel 2's Lauren Pozen spoke to Murphy's son earlier this week, who said that his fear was that his dad would not be able to ask for help or tell someone he was lost because of his health conditions.

"His communication is a little bit lower at this point. He doesn't communicate as well. He will use a lot of physical gestures to communicate," Julius Murphy said.