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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 10:20 p.m., Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Family searching for missing Hawaii Kai man

Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Roque Rivera was last seen March 23 near Dole Cannery.

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Family and friends are asking for the public's help in finding a 75-year-old Hawaii Kai man who was last see on Easter Sunday.

Roque Rivera, 5-foot-7, 165 pounds, was last seen near the Dole Cannery where his Ford Explorer was found. He was wearing a blue baseball cap with a United Airlines logo, a blue shirt with white stripes and blue jeans.

"He may be living as a homeless person," said Raul Rivera, Roque's son who arrived in Honolulu from San Francisco on March 25 after receiving a call from his father's friend, Rudolf Peschke. "He's never been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but he may be. We've checked the beaches, his church, homeless shelters ... I don't think he's off island. I think he's either living as a homeless person or with someone. We need to find him."

Peschke said he grew concerned about Rivera after calling his house to confirm their weekly hiking trip. For the past 12 years, Peschke said, the two have spent every Monday hiking various trails across Oahu.

"He'd never go off without telling me," Peschke said.

Rivera's disappearance is one of a recent spat of seniors who've gone missing. Earlier today police found Charles Fujiwara in a wooded area behind his Pearl City home. Fujiwara, who suffers from Alzheimer's, was reported missing on Tuesday. He was taken to the hospital and treated for dehydration.

"Having recently had elderly parents living with me, I can understand the difficulties in taking care of elderly people," said Major Frank Fujii of the Honolulu Police Department. "It's not easy to take away car keys from a parent, but it's better than to have the experience of a loved one missing."

Anyone with information about Rivera can contact the police at 529-3115.