The elderly man who crashed into an SUV and then a mother with a child in Daytona Beach Monday has Alzheimer’s and may have been suicidal. 

  • Ray Beams, 85, struck an SUV Monday, and then hit a mother pushing a stroller on the sidewalk
  • Police say Beams was reported missing by his children in February
  • When found, police say he wanted to take his own life

A Port Orange police report shows Ray Beams' children reported the 85-year-old missing in February.

Once found, Beams allegedly told police he wanted to take his own life. He was distraught over losing his wife of 60 years last summer.

The report says Beams asked a police officer for his gun so that he could make it all go away.

Mike Hennessy, 64, lives across the street from Beam's home in Port Orange and remembers when his family was desperately looking for Beams.

 "He had an episode, say three or four months ago, where everybody was out looking for him. The local cops and state police, and had helicopters hovering over," said Hennessy.

Police say Beams, who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, was driving a Mercury sedan Monday when Port Orange police were getting ready to report him missing again.

Police say he rear-ended a Chevrolet Tahoe on Williamson Boulevard, crossed a median into oncoming traffic, and ran over 24-year-old Christian Sims and her nearly 2-year-old daughter, Iris Barnes.

"A young mother and a child like that, you know, it's unbelievable to think. You don't know when to say take the keys and when not to take the keys," said Hennessy.

Mental health experts say the conversation about taking Beams' car keys away should've started when he first walked away from his home several months ago.

"Not just the keys get taken away but that car gets removed, because if you still see that car, you still have that. Again, they have Alzheimer’s, so they still think they can drive," said Council on Aging CEO Sarah Gurtis.

Gurtis says a person who shows signs of Alzheimer’s will not improve. The patient's condition can only get worse, becoming a danger to themselves and the public.

"I think after the last episode that should've been a tip off. If it was my dad I wouldn't let him drive," said Hennessy.

Sims is still at Halifax Hospital in serious condition, but she is improving and expected to recover.

Right now, police are not saying if Beams will face any charges. Their investigation is ongoing.