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79-year-old Great Neck woman missing for nearly a month

The family of Shi Hua Xu is desperate for answers. Xu, who has Alzheimer’s, left her Great Neck home on Dec. 16, and the family has no idea where she is.

Cecilia Dowd

Jan 14, 2026, 5:54 PM

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A 79-year-old left her home on Oakley Place in Great Neck around 3 p.m. Dec. 16. and has been missing since despite a large community effort.

Shi Hua Xu's son, Chibo Qian, said the family is asking people to look in their backyards, sheds and any place that is “hidden.”

Qian said his mom takes up to 20 walks a day and they’d typically track her via an AirTag in her sneaker and her phone.

However, on the day she went missing, she didn’t wear her normal pair of sneakers.

Her son said she found another pair of shoes and put those on instead.

Worse, she apparently took a TV remote, likely thinking it was her cellphone.

Xu left in a red coat with just a ring on her finger. She is about 5 feet tall and does not speak much English.

If she is spotted, people are asked to call 911 immediately.

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