A Charleston, South Carolina family is urgently seeking help in locating 66-year-old Edmond Bradley Solomon III, who disappeared during a Caribbean cruise stop in Cozumel, Mexico this week. Mr. Solomon, who was recently diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, went missing after separating from his wife at a port terminal on Wednesday afternoon.
His daughter, Savannah Miller, explains the harrowing situation. “My dad has a degenerative brain disorder that impacts his behavior and ability to communicate normally,” she said. “When he wandered off from my stepmom at the port, we knew he would struggle tremendously to find his way back or convey his needs to others.”
After realizing Mr. Solomon was missing from the restroom area, his family immediately notified cruise staff and local authorities. Mexican officials reported last seeing the West Ashley native Wednesday evening near a road called Isla de la Pasión in Cozumel, wearing a white t-shirt, grey shorts and dark sunglasses.
For Ms. Miller, the reality of her father’s disappearance in a foreign country with his cognitive impairment was chilling. “I got the call at 5:30am and just froze,” she recalled. “I didn’t know how to process that my dad, with diminished mental capacities, was lost and alone somewhere in Mexico.”
A Lifetime of Caring for Others
Those who know Mr. Solomon describe him as a perpetually selfless caregiver. A critical care nurse of over 30 years at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, he built a career around safeguarding the health and wellbeing of others.
“He’s always been someone drawn to helping people however he can, whether ensuring his own family was cared for or working tirelessly for his patients,” Ms. Miller said, adding that his favorite hobbies like surfing and fishing were rooted in his love of nature and the outdoors.
While frontotemporal dementia has increasingly impaired Mr. Solomon’s functional abilities in recent years, his core compassion remains unwavering according to loved ones. “No matter the situation, my dad was bent on making sure those around him were safe,” his daughter stated. “Now, we desperately need that same concern and effort from others to find him.”
A Desperate, Global Plea
With Mr. Solomon’s wife Mimi remaining in Cozumel, their extensive family is uniting in an all-out search effort. Ms. Miller and relatives are mobilizing to the Mexican island this weekend, while simultaneously spreading awareness across Charleston and beyond.
“We’re really hoping the community that my dad has spent decades serving can give back by amplifying this message far and wide,” Ms. Miller pleaded. “We need every set of eyes possible looking for my dad so we can bring him home safely.”
A GoFundMe launched to cover travel costs for the family has already raised over $15,000 from dozens of donors expressing concern and offering prayers. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and consular officials have also been notified about the case.
Despite the anguish of her father’s disappearance, Ms. Miller says reuniting with him is the only focus. “I’m looking forward to giving my dad the biggest hug when we find him,” she stated. “We won’t stop until he’s back home with our family.”
As the search intensifies across Cozumel and social media in the coming days, the Solomons are imploring anyone with potential information to immediately contact local authorities. For this Charleston family, the desperate pursuit is rooted in ensuring their selfless patriarch receives the same caring commitment he embodied for others his entire life.
