Casey Kasem Found in Washington After Daughter Filed Missing Persons Report

Radio icon's family say he is suffering from Lewy body disease, a form of dementia which requires proper care

By Rebecca Macatee May 15, 2014 12:52 PMTags
Casey KasemAmanda Edwards/Getty Images

Hours after Casey Kasem's daughter filed a missing persons report to locate her father, the 82-year-old radio icon was found in Washington.

Kerri Kasem, who was appointed as her dad's temporary caretaker during a hearing Monday, said in a statement to NBC News that the family is "grateful to the local authorities for finding my Dad," adding, "We are one step closer to bringing him home."

Earlier this week, a judge ordered a court investigator to locate the former "Top 40" host after hearing conflicting information of him being at a Native American reservation in Washington or out of the country, a court spokeswoman told NBC News. An attorney for his wife, actress Jean Kasem, admitted at the time he had "no idea" where his client's husband was.

This was concerning, the judge acknowledged, because according to Casey's adult children, he suffers from Lewy body disease, a form of dementia. Last year, members of the family spoke to a local news station about their concerns for his health and alleged that their stepmother had cut off their access to their father.

That said, in November, daughter Kerri was denied conservatorship of the radio icon, with a judge saying he was getting "good to excellent care" at home. At the time, Jean, who was given legal power from her husband to make medical decisions for him in 2011, said she had no desire to obtain conservatorship unless the court ruled he needed protection.

Now, though, we hope for everyone's sake the family can work together to come up with the care plan that's best for Casey.