Family and friends of Manhattan Beach resident and Alzheimer's patient Nancy Paulikas, who has missing since October 15, are working hard to continue to get the word out about her and to keep up awareness of her plight. 

Kirk Moody, Paulikas' husband, says that the prevailing theory is that she is lost somewhere in the medical care system. "It’s very frustrating to me," he added. "From a hospital standpoint, it seems incredible that she would slip through the cracks."

Moody noted that his team of volunteers has been calling hospitals across the Los Angeles area, sending flyers and letters out by hard copy to every adult residential facility in Los Angeles, and calling all of the nursing facilities in the area. "We had been calling all the hospitals almost daily for over a month, so we are really calling them for the 30th-plus time," he said. "The emphasis now is speaking to a lead person in social services who can make sure everyone who might encounter Nancy is aware that she is missing."

One theory is that she somehow managed to find her way outside of the Los Angeles area. She is currently in the national missing persons database, as well as in the ReddiNet emergency alert system, according to Moody.

"The other possibility is that she is somehow misidentified," added Moody. "She’s very likely to be able to articulate her first name – but did she give someone the wrong impression of her last name?"  

Moody noted that there is a chance that someone might have picked her up and is taking care of her, although he added, "With the amount of care she needs, it would be a Herculean task."

Additionally, Moody said he believes that it is unlikely that she has passed away without the family knowing about it, as the coroners' office is very skilled at identifying "Jane Doe" patients using all available missing persons' information.

And so the family's search continues: "We visit quite a few places," said Moody. "If we call and get the runaround, we might go visit in person. It’s disappointing to find out that places haven’t heard about it."

The family has worked closely with the LAPD and the Manhattan Beach Police, who have the lead role on the case. So far Paulikas' story has appeared in numerous newspaper articles and TV station reports, and it has been featured in a Steve Lopez column in the L.A. Times.

Now the publicity has gone down, however, since there is no "new" news to report. Yet Moody and his team faithfully keep up the search, ever hopeful that new clues will emerge.

Paulikas, age 56 and suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's, was last seen at 3:00 p.m. on October 15 at Fairfax and Wilshire wearing a red print shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. There is a $1,000 reward for information to help find her. The latest updates on the search and contact information can be found at the Nancy Is Missing website, and on the Nancy is Missing Facebook page.