Missing Plymouth man with memory issues found dead

PLYMOUTH - The Plymouth man with memory issues who went missing on Tuesday has been found dead after a four-day search.

Police announced that 69-year-old Rodney Riviello was found dead outdoors in Plymouth Saturday afternoon.

"We are devastated by the loss of our Dad and Papa. This entire ordeal has been extremely difficult and unbelievable," the Riviello family said in a statement.

The family thanked Plymouth police and volunteers for their work to find Riviello.

"We will never be able to adequately thank you enough."

Rodney's body was found just steps from Bruce Zarro's home. "Happened right literally in my backyard. We feel your loss, and the volunteers gave it all they could," said Zarro.

Neighbors remember Rodney Riviello

Zarro never met Rodney, but felt moved by his story.

"We had quite an outpouring of volunteers coming down, police presence, and they were just so kind looking for Rodney, and yeah, I never met him. We're just taken by his story," Zarro said.

In another part of the neighborhood, their weekly gathering turned into a time to remember Riviello.

"This is a sad day for our little neighborhood," John Ready said. "We've been talking about Rodney everywhere we go."

"Without exception, everybody said, 'That is so sad' it breaks your heart," Barbara Ready said.

Missing after leaving hospital on Tuesday

Rodney went missing around 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday after being discharged from Beth Israel Plymouth Hospital. The fire department dropped him off after he suffered a head injury. His family said that he had no phone or wallet with him, and they were not notified.

His children believe he went on his daily morning walk when he fell and was found by two women who called 911. Beth Israel told the family he might have broken his nose but released him after a few hours.

Rodney also suffered from memory issues due to mini-strokes.

"They did want to give him stitches, which he declined," said Norris. "His appearance could be off. And they did see the damage that's been done to his brain from the strokes, so they knew that he had a mental impairment. Our focus is bringing him home and down the road it will be making sure that this doesn't happen to other families."

His family offered a $5,000 reward on Friday for any information leading to his safe return.

Rodney is remembered by the Plymouth community as a loving father, grandfather, and Yankees fan.