Hayward family desperate to find missing woman
HAYWARD, Calif. - A Hayward family is in a desperate search for their loved one and is asking for the public's help in finding the 60-year-old woman.
Relatives of Michelle Azpeitia said they have not heard from her since she walked out of her home on Friday. Azpeitia did not have any money or identification with her.
Her son, David Winn, said it was out of character for her to leave without telling anyone where she was going.
"It's incredible because she can't walk most of the time," said Winn, who appeared visibly upset. "She's usually bedridden. She's never done this before, so out of character."
Winn is distraught but determined to find his mother. He was joined by family and friends on Wednesday to pass out flyers.
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A neighbor's camera showed Azpeitia leaving her home on 172nd Avenue on Friday night shortly before 8:30 p.m. Her family said she was wearing a black pajama top and black pants with white skulls on them. She was barefoot and had a custom-made pit bull blanket wrapped around her.
"I'm just worried about where she could be. I don't want her to be out in the elements. She has a health condition. She can't be out and about for that long," said Winn. He said his mother has mental health and physical issues, including high blood pressure, and that she needs medication.
Azpeitia left with only the clothes on her back. Her phone was still at home.
Winn described his mother as a kind and caring person but said that she had become withdrawn in recent days. Her family said Azpeitia had difficulty coping with the recent, sudden death of a relative.
"I went to the bathroom. And when I came out, she was gone," said Eugene Johnson, the woman's husband of 20 years. He said his wife had appeared to be doing better on the day she disappeared.
"I can't even come out of the house because I'm scared that if I leave, she might come, and I'll miss her," said Johnson.
Azpeitia's husband, son, and daughter said she never left home without letting them know.
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is treating her disappearance as an at-risk missing person case.
"I love you, mom. I miss you. I just want you to come home. We can take care of whatever it is," said Winn.
Azpeitia has light red and gray hair. She is 5'5" and weighs 165 pounds.
Her family is asking anyone with video of her or who has seen her to contact law enforcement.
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave a message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU, or Twitter @AmberKTVU.