Hanson found alive: Located at his residence early Thursday evening

Published 8:07 pm Thursday, November 9, 2017

A 72-year-old Austin man, missing from his home since Monday, was located at his residence just before 5 p.m. on Thursday, according to an Austin Police Department press release.

The press statement said: “Mr. Hanson was found alive and was transported to Mayo Clinic Health Systems in Austin. On behalf of the Austin Police Department, we want to thank everyone in the community for their assistance and support in the search for Mr. Hanson.”

No other details about Dennis Hanson’s whereabouts over the past week or his condition when found were released.

Dennis Hanson
Photo provided

Email newsletter signup

Hanson’s daughter, Michele Olsen,  said on the “Find Dennis Hanson” Facebook page that “My Dad has been found alive! Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support and search efforts.” The post was made about 5:30 p.m. A few minutes later the name of the page was changed to: “Mission Complete: Dennis Hanson Has Been Found Alive.”

Hanson was reported missing on Monday when he could not be found at his home on the 2100 block of Third Avenue Southeast early Monday morning. His description was circulated through the media outlets and on social media. Different areas in and around Austin were searched by law enforcement, emergency personnel and citizens every day since the report was filed, until Thursday afternoon. A bloodhound, drone, and State Patrol helicopter and plane were all used in the search for Hanson.

Early in the week, the Austin Fire Department searched the quarry south of town off County Road 4 and 540th Avenue, after a caller reported a man matching Hanson’s description was seen near that area.

The report later proved false, when another man contacted authorities on Thursday saying he thought someone had seen him, not Hanson, in the area.