Dementia Patient Found Dead In Woods Near BWI Airport: Police

HANOVER, MD — Authorities said the weeklong search for a man missing from Beltsville who suffered from dementia and was not able to communicate has come to a tragic end after his body was discovered in a wooded area near BWI Airport Tuesday night. Daniel DeHaven, 65, was found dead shortly before 5 p.m. by a person out for a walk off Dorsey Road near Baltimore/Washington International Airport, according to Prince George's County Police.

Police, family, firefighters and volunteers from three counties had searched for DeHaven for the past week. Given the single-digit overnight low temperatures that hit the region last week, Prince George's County Police said it was critical that they find DeHaven. Anne Arundel County Police said over the weekend that he may have been given a ride to the Gambrills area.

There are no suspicious factors in DeHaven's death, said the Anne Arundel County Police Department, which will follow up with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine cause and manner of death.

DeHaven disappeared about 11:30 a.m. Jan. 2 when he was at a Costco in the 10900 block of Baltimore Avenue in Beltsville with his wife, officials said. Prince George's County Police said Sunday that DeHaven may have been picked up while walking on Route 1 on Jan. 2 by a driver who dropped him off in the 800 block of Annapolis Road in Gambrills.

Dehaven did not have identification on him when he disappeared, police said. The family set up a Facebook page, Help Us Find Danny Francis DeHaven, where search plans and other updates were posted.

"We would like to thank everyone for their time, energy, and efforts towards trying to find our Dad," the family posted Tuesday night. "We could not have accomplished any of what we were able to, without the overwhelming support and love from the community, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and supporting agencies. At this time, we need to process this development and ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy. Thank you all."

Dehaven was last seen on store surveillance video in the 10900 block of Baltimore Avenue about 11:30 a.m. Jan. 2. Prince George's County Police officers, detectives, K-9 units, the aviation unit, and additional law enforcement agencies searched for him throughout the night. Residents and local businesses were asked to be on the lookout.

Police received a tip that Dehaven may have been sighted in downtown Silver Spring and searched the area without success.

Photo: Prince George's County Police Department