Where’s Darlene Campbell? Community searches for missing Baltimore woman.

Darlene Campbell has always been a caretaker.

She often cooked big meals for relatives and fed people in her community. She worked at Baltimore’s Mercy Hospital and the University of Maryland Medical Center. She would look after family members who fell sick, including her mother with dementia.

“She would go the extra mile for you,” said her daughter, Lisa Campbell. “Everybody tends to always lean on her because she was the person that kept our family together.”

Now Darlene Campbell, who was diagnosed with dementia in recent years like her mother, is missing.

Dozens of people have been searching for the 72-year-old woman also known in the community as Ms. Darlene. She was last seen over a week ago near the Charles Village neighborhood.

“She’s a fall risk, can’t really keep her balance,” Lisa Campbell said, adding that her mother has not gone out for walks for nearly a year and a half after she started experiencing pain in her legs. “I’m so surprised she walked off.”

She was last spotted in the evening on June 17 after she walked away from her home on East 28th Street. She was wearing pajama pants, a black-and-white top, a turban and black sneakers.

After she left her home, she sat inside a senior living facility on Barclay Avenue for nearly two hours before being excused out, said Lisa Campbell, who assumed the workers there did not recognize she was a vulnerable adult.

She was last seen on city surveillance cameras near Barclay and East 25th streets walking east toward Greenmount Avenue.

The family has received almost no credible tips about Darlene Campbell’s whereabouts. Only CitiWatch cameras have offered clues.

Lisa Campbell has asked anyone who may spot her mother to stay with her until the family or police can arrive. She is not confrontational or aggressive, her daughter said. The hallucinations caused by her dementia can sometimes confuse her, but she is mostly aware of her name, where she lives and the names of her relatives.

Family and community members have been canvassing the area for days.

More than a dozen family, friends and neighbors gathered at King and Kennedy Park on Sunday before dispersing into small groups to search for Campbell. Missing person flyers in hand, the groups combed alleys, vacant parcels and roadways in case they spotted Campbell’s white-and-gold turban or warm smile.

Through tears and sadness, several of those embarking on the community search tried to be hopeful. Many wished that if anyone were to encounter her she would be treated with kindness.

Campbell’s daughter said it’s been a difficult time for family members as they search daily for her.

“She is a very friendly, loving and caring, supportive person,” Lisa Campbell said. “Definitely the backbone of our family.”

This article has been updated.

Banner reporter Shayla Colon contributed to this story.