In the crisp autumn air of Nashville, Tennessee, on November 24, 2021, 85-year-old Lucy Buchanan was seen for the last time. A mother and grandmother, she was in the early stages of dementia. Surveillance footage captured her leaving her apartment in the 2100 block of Buena Vista Pike around 10:11 a.m. the day before Thanksgiving. Roughly fifteen minutes later, she was seen walking past a Walgreens on Clarksville Pike. Ms.
Buchanan was known to frequent that store and walk in the areas of Buena Vista and Clarksville Pikes. Her family became concerned and reported her missing when they were unable to get in touch with her over the Thanksgiving holiday. The last time her family spoke with her via her cell phone was on the morning of Monday, November 29, 2021. Later that day, her phone was either turned off or the battery died. When her apartment was checked, nothing seemed out of the ordinary or missing.
The search for Lucy Buchanan involved a significant effort from law enforcement and the community. The investigation included checking local hospitals and thoroughly canvassing the areas she was known to frequent. Authorities utilized drones to search wooded and brush-filled areas, and flyers with her information were posted at businesses along Buena Vista Pike. Detectives interviewed her friends, family, and acquaintances in an attempt to find any leads on her whereabouts. Despite these exhaustive efforts and the release of surveillance footage showing what she was last wearing—khaki pants, a white puffy coat, a gray toboggan, and a gray scarf—no confirmed sightings of Ms. Buchanan occurred after she was last seen on video. The family remained instrumental in the search, holding out hope for her safe return.
Tragically, the search for Lucy Buchanan came to a sorrowful conclusion. In January 2025, human remains were discovered in a heavily wooded area in the 2200 block of Kirk Avenue, not far from her apartment on Buena Vista Pike. These remains were later positively identified as those of Lucy Buchanan. Investigators found no evidence to suggest that foul play was involved in her death. The discovery brought a sad end to the nearly three-year search for the missing elderly woman. The case of Lucy Buchanan is a heartbreaking example of the vulnerability of individuals living with dementia and the profound impact a disappearance has on a family and community. It highlights the extensive efforts that are undertaken in the search for a missing loved one, and the painful reality that sometimes these searches do not have a happy ending.Last Seen: Nov 24, 2021
