Elderly Maine Township Man Found by Cook County Detective

An elderly Maine Township man that was last seen on Tuesday and may have been disoriented due to not taking some heart medication, was found at his Maine Township residence by a Cook County detective at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said.

William L. Robinson, 81, of unincorporated Maine Township near Des Plaines, was last seen driving his white pickup truck to a grocery store at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, said Frank Bilecki, spokesperson for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office asked for the public’s help to locate Robinson on Wednesday morning, after Robinson’s family contacted them.

“The family didn’t notify us until this morning, only because he’s done this before and always turned up,” Bilecki said.

While a Cook County detective was on his way to one of Robinson’s former employer’s office to look for him, Bilecki said, he went past Robinson’s house and noticed his white pickup truck was there.

“He had been driving all night long, lost,” Bilecki said.

Bilecki said Robinson passed a driving test two weeks ago, but he would be retested immediately.

Robinson lives with his wife, who has Alzheimer’s, Bilecki said, and was likely home for only a minute or two before the Cook County detective arrived.

“She seemed excited as well that he was home,” Bilecki said.