Missing 80-year-old Fargo man found dead

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - A sad ending to the search for a missing 80-year-old man.

Fargo Police say Robert McKinnon’s body has been located.

Officers were called out on a unattended death report at 3501 45th St. S. just after two on Tuesday afternoon. The building is just 800 feet from where McKinnon is said to have last been seen.

Family was notified as soon as McKinnon was located, but police say they decided to hold off on releasing the information to the public to allow the family time to contact relatives.

McKinnon was missing for almost two weeks after police say he walked away from the Maple View Memory Care in south Fargo earlier this month.

Fargo Police emphasize that McKinnon was not found outside. Most of the building where McKinnon was found is currently vacant and sources tell Valley News Live the building was being shown to potential buyers or renters Tuesday afternoon when McKinnon was discovered.

Fargo Police executed a four square mile grid search in the days after McKinnon went missing, which included the area he was ultimately found. However, FPD say unless they have permission from the dwelling owner or from a judge, they cannot search inside buildings. Fargo Police say they had no reason to believe McKinnon would be inside any of the nearby businesses hence why they didn’t search inside, and instead pleaded with business owners in this area to take a few minutes to search any vacant buildings and look at their security footage.

Fargo Police say an autopsy will be conducted to determine McKinnon’s cause of death.

The North Dakota Department of Health says they are in communication with Maple View Memory Care, however could not say more.