It has been 10 days since a 79-year-old man from Asau in Savai'i went missing and his family is worried about his safety as the days of his absence get close to two weeks. 

Tautaifau Kipaoa Faavesi went missing from his home on Friday 14 April 2023 with the Police saying he went missing at around 9 am in the morning.

His granddaughter Vai Eti Jay took to social media to express her family's concerns about the safety of her grandfather and ask the public for assistance in locating him.

"It's been four days since our dear grandpa Vesi had gone missing. We've been praying, asking heavenly father to keep him safe wherever he may be right now, I personally trembled last night I couldn't sleep, till this morning," she posted on her Facebook page last week. 

"Hate to admit it but my faith wavered but then I remember one of my Pa's fav hymns from our hymn book, "Matai e ua sou le vasa.”

"Please we urge for your assistance especially families and those from the Itu o Tane constituency. Our old man left our family in Asau yesterday around 9 in the morning.

"Our aunty who looks after him thought he was just going to his plantation as he would usually do, however, our family couldn’t find him there last night. We suspected that he might’ve walked to Safa’I to our other relatives there but we went to Safa’I as well and he wasn’t there."

Ms. Jay said they thought he stopped at a family home to rest while walking to Safa’I because he never takes or hitches a ride with anyone unless he has money to pay them. 

Mr. Faavesi was last seen wearing a shirt with black stripes and an old ie lavalava. According to his granddaughter, her grandfather has symptoms of dementia.

The Police Commissioner, Auapaau Logoitino Filipo, told Samoa Observer that the Police Ministry's drone team conducted an aerial survey within the vicinity of Itu o Tane last weekend but he was not found.

"Up to this day there's been no word of his whereabouts and the police drone team even went out there during the weekend and used their drones to search for him but they came back yesterday with no good news," he told Samoa Observer.