Great Neck family seeks help finding Shua Hua Xu, 79, who has Alzheimer's

The despondent family of a 79-year-old woman who disappeared more than a week ago is pleading with Great Neck residents to check their home security systems for video that might provide clues to the Alzheimer patient’s location.

Chibo Qian said his mother, Shua Hua Xu, who was last seen near Temple Israel of Great Neck on Dec. 16, may have hunkered down in a garage or backyard shed.

"It’s been rough, but we are not giving up hope," Qian said. "There has been tremendous community support, with hundreds of people helping with the search. It’s been extremely difficult for us but the community support has been tremendous."

Videos posted on the Great Neck Residents Facebook page by Qian’s wife, Joey Chow, show Xu walking through residential neighborhoods. In one video, she is seen walking up a driveway and past a parked vehicle toward a backyard.

Volunteers fanned out across the Great Neck area on Saturday in a coordinated search to find the missing woman, but were unsuccessful, according to a Facebook post.

Nassau police said Xu is an Asian woman who is 5 feet tall, weighs 95 pounds and has brown eyes and gray-and-black hair. She was last seen wearing a red jacket, dark pants and shoes.

Her possible destination, police said, may have been Bayside, Queens.

Qian, who, like his mother, is a resident of Great Neck, said Xu tries to avoid people and asked anyone who spots her to immediately call 911.

Nassau police also asked anyone with information about Xu’s whereabouts to contact the Missing Persons Squad at 516-573-7347.