Son wants answers after father goes missing from VA, is found seriously hurt

OAKLAND, Pa. — Scott Warheit’s father was missing for hours after wandering away from the VA clinic in Oakland.

He was eventually found miles away, and now his son wants to know exactly what happened.

“I can't find any answers,” Scott Warheit said.

Scott Warheit is frustrated and turned to Channel 11 to help find out what happened to his dad, George Warheit, who disappeared after an outpatient eye procedure.

“He just got up and left,” Scott Warheit said.

George Warheit is a Navy veteran with severe dementia. We first met his son as he searched for his dad in the cold Wednesday night.

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Scott Warheit told Channel 11 at 2 a.m. Thursday that he got a call saying his dad was at UPMC Mercy.

“He had a broken hip. Broken nose. Lacerations across face and hands,” Scott Warheit said. “He was in a lot of pain. He actually cried, and my dad don't cry much.”

Here's the best timeline Channel 11 has right now:

• Scott said his dad disappeared at 3:55 p.m. Wednesday.
• Scott claims he got a call at 4:37 p.m.
• VA Police alerted Allegheny County 911 at 4:53 p.m.. Dispatchers immediately alerted local law enforcement.
• Police tell us that, around 8 p.m., a man was found lying on Shaler Street in Duquesne Heights – six miles from the VA – and taken to Mercy for treatment.
• At 9:18 p.m., the VA alerted the media about the search for Warheit.
• At 10:40 p.m., VA representatives said tips were coming in and they were following leads.
• Around 2 a.m. Thursday morning, Scott was called to identify his father at Mercy.
• At 4:08 a.m., the VA told Channel 11 Warheit "was located, safe and being cared for."

“This is far from safe,” Scott Warheit said.

The VA hospital told Channel 11 protocols were followed and they acted immediately when they realized Warheit wasn't where he was supposed to be.

The VA said their police notified Pittsburgh police and asked to look at traffic camera footage. They also prompted Allegheny County to broadcast a citywide notification over police dispatch which led to a University of Pittsburgh student reporting that he/she may have seen George Warheit.

Channel 11 asked about the time gap several times, and a spokesperson said:

"Our most important priority is the health and safety of the veterans we serve. We released health information and other identifiable information to enlist the public's assistance in locating a veteran who left an outpatient clinic at our Oakland facility unaccompanied, this was done in accordance with privacy law in a life safety situation. We are grateful that this led to law enforcement locating the veteran. We have provided to you the extent of information that we can make available in accordance with privacy law."

“I would like to know who what where when and why,” Scott Warheit said. “I want to make sure nobody else has to go through this kind of trauma.”

Cox Media Group