Family Of Missing 88-Year-Old Northport Man Gives Updates On Search

NORTHPORT, AL — The family of a Northport man with dementia who has been missing for almost a week believes that he may have been picked up and taken to a location outside of the search area close to his home on Tom Taylor Road.

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As Patch previously reported, 88-year-old Nathaniel Short was last seen on April 1 at approximately 11 a.m. in the area of Charlie Shirley Road near Highway 69.

Beloved and well-known in the community, Short is described as a Black man who was was wearing a tan hat, a navy blue and red sweater, and grey pants the last time he was seen.

Short's disappearance prompted large-scale search efforts by law enforcement and members of the community, with Short's family being helped by the volunteer efforts of a public relations firm — the Tidmore Group — to manage public updates on the ongoing search.

Short's family says that during the search, rescue dogs repeatedly lost track of his scent when they successfully tracked him from the lake near the residence to Charlie Shirley Road. It's at this point that his family says the dogs are unable to continue on the trail.

What's more, a resident reported seeing Short around 4 p.m. the day he went missing near P&P Produce and Echol’s gas station, while another witness claimed to have seen him on Crescent Ridge Road near Brown’s Nursery the same afternoon.

Short was also reportedly sighted in the Crestmont area of Northport the day of his disappearance.

The Tidmore Group says Short worked at Shelton State Community College for 50 years and recently spoke of wanting to return to work.

Short's family spoke to the possibility that, in the state of confusion with his condition affecting his cognitive abilities, he could have been given a ride and asked to be taken to an old residence, to work, or any other familiar location from his past.

Linda Short, Nathanial Short's wife, speculated that her husband could be "really anywhere."

“If someone tried to help him by giving him a ride, I just want them to know they are not in any kind of trouble," she said. "We just need information about where he was dropped off, so we can bring him home. We don’t plan to press charges. We just want to know how to find him and any information helps.”

As the search continues, volunteers will plan to meet daily at 4:30 p.m. at 8715 Tom Taylor Road, with no registration required.

Those with any information are asked to contact the Northport Police Department at (205) 339-6600.

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