Missing vet from Lodi is found safe in Oakdale

A 25-year-old veteran reported missing from Lodi was found safe in Oakdale on Wednesday afternoon.

The Modesto chapter of the Guardian Angels planned to be out Wednesday evening to search for Andrew Durazo, 25, a combat veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other injuries, said David Lambert, Modesto chapter leader of the Guardian Angels.

However, Lambert sent out an email to news media Wednesday afternoon saying he received a call from Julie Stephens, who said she saw Durazo, having recognized him from social media posts. She spoke with Durazo, then called Lambert.

They were arranging for Durazo’s sister to pick him up and take him back to Lodi.

Lambert said a private investigator had set up a Facebook page for Durazo, and word spread throughout the region.

Durazo has been missing since mid-April, and was last seen in Modesto near Claus Road and Scene Drive, according to fliers.

About a dozen Guardian Angels, along with an undetermined number of community volunteers, had planned to search for Durazo in the Dry Creek and Downey Park areas on Wednesday night.

Durazo has no apparent tie to Modesto, Lambert said.

“The family seems mystified as to why he’d be in Modesto and how he arrived here, because he doesn’t drive,” he said.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Missing vet from Lodi is found safe in Oakdale."