78-year-old missing man found dead in Solana rice field after three weeks of search

Solana, Cagayan — An elderly man who had been missing since September 28, 2025, was found dead in a rice field in Solana, Cagayan, after more than three weeks of search efforts.

Reports from local media outlets in Cagayan Valley identified the victim as 78-year-old Aurelio (surname withheld), married, and a resident of Zone 3, Barangay Maddarulug, Solana.

According to the Solana Police Station, Aurelio had been the subject of a search since his family reported him missing. Unfortunately, he was discovered lifeless on Wednesday, October 22.

Police said a 41-year-old farmer was tending to his cattle that day when he noticed a foul odor coming from a grassy area in a nearby rice field in Zone 3.

Curious, the farmer checked the source of the smell and was shocked to find a decomposing body. Alarmed, he immediately reported the discovery to barangay officials, who then alerted the police.

Responding officers coordinated with the victim’s family to verify the identity of the body. Upon arriving at the scene, the victim’s son positively identified his father through his clothes and slippers.

The son told police that his father had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease—a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior—which likely caused him to lose his way home.

The victim’s remains were later brought to their residence for the wake.