Dwain T. Poulin, also known as “Dewey,” was an 84-year-old man from New Hampshire who was last seen on September 10, 2018, after leaving his assisted living residence in Tamworth. Police said he had dementia or Alzheimer’s and was missing from the residence at 22 Mays Way. He was reportedly last seen by staff at about 3:45 p.m.; when staff returned for a 15-minute check, he was gone. A neighbor later reported seeing him walking east from his home.
At the time he disappeared, he was described as 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 160 pounds, with gray hair, brown eyes, glasses, and a gray mustache. He was reportedly wearing a blue plaid shirt, blue jeans, black sneakers, and a baseball cap with a mosquito and the phrase “NH State Bird.”
Because Dwain lived with dementia, authorities were concerned that he may have become disoriented or tried to travel toward a familiar place from his past. Police said he might have been attempting to reach his childhood home in Wilton, Maine, and NamUs information notes that he had previously left and was found trying to hitchhike back there. That detail gave searchers and the public an important clue about what may have been on his mind when he walked away, but it also underscored how vulnerable he was and how far he might have tried to go on foot or by seeking a ride.
The search for Dwain was extensive, but early efforts did not locate him. Public reports said authorities asked for the public’s help, circulated his description, and warned that he could be trying to get to Maine. NamUs states that multiple resources were used in the area, yet those efforts produced no evidence of his whereabouts. WMUR later reported that searches were suspended because there was little evidence placing him in the Tamworth area after he disappeared.
In the year after his disappearance, Dwain’s daughters, Kim Cullins and Cheryl Poulin, filed a lawsuit against Tamworth Community Living Inc., the assisted living facility connected to his case. Associated Press reporting published by several outlets said the family accused the facility of negligence and breach of contract, alleging that it failed to adequately supervise him despite his worsening Alzheimer’s disease. The reports also stated that his daughters had purchased a clip-on tracking device after an earlier incident in which he disappeared for several hours, but alleged that the facility did not use it. The facility’s administrator declined to comment on the lawsuit in the reporting available at the time.
Human remains found in Ossipee, New Hampshire, in 2020 were later identified as Dwain. WMUR reported that DNA results matched remains found in a mountainous area off Gilman Valley Road in Ossipee to Dwain Poulin, and that those results had come in shortly before the February 2022 report. The available public reporting identifies the remains as Dwain’s but does not provide a publicly confirmed full account of what happened to him after he left the assisted living residence.
Dwain’s case is a heartbreaking example of the danger faced by older adults living with dementia when they become separated from caregivers and familiar surroundings. He was remembered not only by a case number or a missing person alert, but as a father and loved one whose family endured years of uncertainty after he vanished. Although partial remains were identified, publicly available information does not clearly establish every detail of his final movements or the exact circumstances of his death, leaving a painful gap for those who cared about him.Last Seen: Sep 10, 2018
