Jacobus “John” Bakkum went missing on Sunday, Aug. 23
Credit: Victoria Police
NEED TO KNOW
- A missing 85-year-old man was found alive and stuck inside his crashed vehicle in southeastern Australia on Tuesday, Aug. 25
- Jacobus “John” Bakkum had disappeared two days earlier while returning home from dinner at a local hotel
- He was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and will be reunited with his family, police said
An 85-year-old man was returning from dinner with his wife in southeastern Australia when he vanished, only to be found alive in his car two days later.
On the evening of Sunday, Aug. 23, Jacobus “John” Bakkum and his partner shared dinner at the Harrietville Hotel Motel in Harrietville, Victoria, as they normally do, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), news.com.au and 7NEWS reported. The 85-year-old man was last seen leaving the establishment just after 8 p.m. local time. While his wife walked the short distance to their home, he was going to drive, but never arrived home, according to the reports.
The elderly man’s disappearance prompted a days-long search. He was reportedly seen driving through Omeo on Sunday at 9:44 p.m., and officials were alerted to another potential sighting of Bakkum in Biggara the following morning at 10:30 a.m., the ABC reported.
Police said that he had a hunched back and required a walking stick to walk.
Concern continued to mount until Bakkum was found trapped inside his 2007 Toyota Prado, located down an embankment along the Omeo Highway on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 11:30 a.m., the outlets reported. He was found more than two-hour drive away from his home.
“We are happy to advise missing Harrietville man John has been located,” Katherine McLeod, a spokesperson for the Victoria Police, confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement. Authorities said that it appeared Bakkum was in a single-vehicle crash in Mitta Mitta at some point over the last two days and was discovered on Tuesday.
Credit: Google
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“His vehicle was located by a passerby down an embankment just off Omeo Highway,” McLeod continued. “He has been transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and will be reunited with family.”
She added, “Police would like to thank media and the public for their assistance.”
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