SANTA FE, N.M. — Worry has now turned to desperation for a family of an 80-year-old man with severe dementia – last seen near his home south of Santa Fe.

Hundred of New Mexicans have been relentlessly searching the hillside community of Eldorado, looking for Jose Orozco Montijo.

The search has been tough with below-freezing temperatures this past week but the family won’t stop looking until they find him.

“It’s been kind of a rough few days for us,” said Marco Rodriguez, a family member.

The family last saw Jose on Jan. 17. They said he wandered out of his home and his severe dementia has them extremely concerned.

For the first few days, the family searched alone. Then, they called in reinforcements, not just law enforcement.

“It took 13 hours for our state search and rescue teams to be activated from the first 911 call for an 80-year-old with dementia in spring clothing,” said Tangerine Bolen, the co-leader of Search Parties.

Bolen worked with other community members to organize several search parties – up against the clock and pretty much everything else.

“There’s the topography and we covered over 350 acres thoroughly, and that’s a conservative estimate of the acreage we covered,” Bolen said.

Over 130 people braved the cold temperatures Saturday to search for their “community grandpa” as they know Jose as.

“We just want to bring him home, no matter what, to his family. And so that’s how it started,” Bolen said.

While they’ve had several leads, they’ve had no luck yet. Professional search parties have also looked – without a trace – but the family says the community support has brought some relief and comfort to them.

“It was very heartwarming that a lot of the people that we’ve never seen or met before took time out of their day to come in and help us. The more help we can get, the better,” one family member said.

If you see Jose, contact his granddaughter at 505-930-2235. Remember, he has severe dementia and only speaks Spanish.