Mitchell Ray Cooley, a 74-year-old man, was last seen in Jackson, Mississippi, after leaving his residence on Myrtlewood Drive during the evening of June 29, 2026. Authorities reported that the window in which he departed extended from approximately 7:00 p.m. that evening until 6:00 p.m. the following day, and he did not return home. Cooley was described as approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing about 130 pounds, with gray or partially gray hair and brown eyes. He was believed to be wearing a white shirt and black pants when he disappeared. Family members also told authorities that he had a medical condition that could impair his judgment, adding urgency to the effort to locate him safely.
After Cooley was reported missing, the Jackson Police Department sought assistance from the public while the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation activated a Silver Alert on July 1.
The alert identified him as an at-risk missing adult and circulated his description throughout the community in the hope that someone had seen him walking away from the Myrtlewood Drive area or elsewhere in Hinds County. With his judgment potentially affected by his medical condition and dangerous summer temperatures gripping the Jackson area, every passing hour increased concern for his welfare. Investigators and loved ones were left without an immediate explanation for where he had gone, how far he might have traveled on foot, or whether he had found shelter from the extreme heat.
The search reached a tragic conclusion on the evening of July 2, when authorities responded at approximately 7:40 p.m. to an area behind a gas station near the intersection of Raymond Road and Ellis Avenue in Jackson. Cooley was found there and was reportedly still alive when he was discovered, but he later died. The Hinds County Coroner’s Office identified him and determined, after reviewing the scene and available medical information, that his death resulted from weather-related heat exposure. Officials reported that there was no evidence of foul play, and his death was classified as accidental. The location where he was found was several miles from the Myrtlewood Drive area where his disappearance began, suggesting that he had traveled through Jackson while exposed to oppressive outdoor conditions and without the protection or assistance he needed.
Cooley’s death was the second heat-related fatality recorded in Hinds County within less than a week, prompting the coroner’s office to urge residents to check regularly on older adults and others who may be especially vulnerable during periods of hazardous heat. What began as an urgent search for an elderly man who had left his Jackson home became a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly disorientation, medical vulnerability and extreme weather can combine to create a life-threatening emergency. Mitchell Ray Cooley’s disappearance began on June 29 when he left his Myrtlewood Drive residence, led to a public Silver Alert and an intensive effort to find him, and ended days later when he was located behind a Jackson gas station and died from heat exposure, with investigators finding no indication that another person caused his death.Last Seen: Jun 29, 2026
