Death of Autistic PSL Man Exposes Dangers of '72-Hour' Missing Persons Myth

PORT ST. LUCIE — Alexander Joseph Solma was already dead when his family finally called police.

The 32-year-old man with high-functioning autism had not been seen since approximately 4 p.m. on a Wednesday, when he was last spotted near his home in the 900 block of Southwest Aurelia Ave. His cellphone was left behind. His family knew he sometimes wandered — but never more than six to eight hours.

They waited two days anyway. Port St. Lucie police say the family believed Florida law required them to wait 72 hours before filing a missing persons report.

It does not. It never did.

"There is zero wait time required in either state," Port St. Lucie police said in a statement, addressing the family's belief that Florida and New York shared the same reporting standard. The Solma family had relocated from New York to Port St. Lucie two years ago.

On Friday morning, just before 11 a.m., Solma was found dead in the 600 block of Southwest Belmont Circle. Police are now investigating the circumstances of his disappearance and death, pending findings from the medical examiner's office. A cause of death has not yet been released. Officials said

Port St. Lucie Public Information Officer Brittany McNally called Solma's death "an incredibly difficult" loss and urged the public to act immediately when a vulnerable person goes missing.

"We urge community members to remember that there is no waiting period to report a missing person, especially when they are considered endangered," McNally said.

That word — endangered — carries legal weight in Florida. State statute defines certain missing persons, including those with developmental disabilities, as automatically qualifying for expedited law enforcement response. Adults with autism, dementia, or other cognitive conditions fall within that framework. Whether the PSL Police Department has a dedicated protocol for missing endangered adults with disabilities, and whether officers are trained to screen for those conditions at intake, remains unclear. Officials said

Police noted Solma was known to frequent the banks of the C-23 canal — a detail that, had officers known it Wednesday evening, may have narrowed the search perimeter significantly.

The 72-hour myth is one of the most persistently dangerous pieces of misinformation in emergency response. Law enforcement officials across Florida have repeatedly refuted it, yet it continues to cost critical hours — and, in at least this case, may have cost a life.

Anyone with information on Solma's whereabouts between Wednesday evening and Friday morning is asked to contact Port St. Lucie Police at (772) 871-5000 or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-8477.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.