3 months, and no sign of father

For Shirley Burton, the wait these past three months has been killing her.

Her father, George Lawson, an 82-year-old Alzheimer's patient, wandered off from her North Chicago home July 23, and hasn't been seen since.

"You cry all the time. Every time the phone rings, you think it's about him," she said, noting Lawson was frequently disoriented and might not know his address.

North Chicago -- like many communities nationwide -- has little to offer the devastated daughter.

Police took a report, issued a bulletin to patrol officers and detectives, and entered him into police databases. Other than keeping a lookout, the search ends there.

"We don't have resources like the city of Chicago. We work with what we have," North Chicago Sgt. Sal Cecala said. "Once a case is reviewed, it gets tabled and stays dormant until a lead comes in."

Because Lawson used to live in New York, a thought was that he perhaps tried to return. So Burton called Chicago Police about checking train and bus stations. "They said, 'Ma'am, we have missing persons enough to fill a phone book. We, too, can't help you,'" Burton said.

"I'm just empty inside. If your mom or dad passes, there's closure. Here, there's none."