BRADENTON, Fla. — The body of missing 79-year-old Fredrick Bacon was found alongside a pond bank Friday morning, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
Bacon, who was reported missing Wednesday, May 17, after he disappeared the night before, was a veteran, the family told 10 Tampa Bay in an earlier interview.
Authorities say Bacon was found not far from where he was last seen. It's believed his death is accidental while an investigation is ongoing.
Deshala Dixon Murray, his daughter, said Bacon did not drive a car and did not have any credit cards, which made it difficult to locate him. She said he, too, had dementia.
Bacon graduated from Morehouse College in 1966 and then became one of the first Black men to earn a Ph.D. in physics from Berkeley University, according to his family. He went on to work at 3M as one of the company's first Black engineers and wrapped up his career as a professor.