The Rapid City doctor who has been missing since Sunday was found alive near Bear Country on Thursday morning.

Harry Hamlyn, 51, was spotted walking on foot along U.S. Highway 16 south of the city by a Department of Transportation maintenance worker. The doctor, who had last been seen Sunday, told authorities he went out for a bike ride, it broke down, and he became lost in the woods and followed the traffic sounds to Highway 16. He did not have his bicycle with him.

Hamlyn was walking on his own and had no life-threatening injuries, though he did suffer some minor injuries, according to the Rapid City Police Department. Dispatchers reported that he was dehydrated, and asked for food and a ride to the hospital when he was found.

Hamlyn, a psychiatrist with Regional Behavorial Health Center on Mountain View Road, was dressed in green shorts and a black T-shirt and sat in a truck and talked with law enforcement until an ambulance arrived. He was taken to Rapid City Regional Hospital in an ambulance about 9 a.m. but was not listed in the hospital's directory later that day.

Hamlyn was last seen Sunday by a family member about 10:30 p.m. in his home near Canyon Lake on the west side of Rapid City. Hamlyn's wife called authorities Monday morning when it was reported that he was not at work and his vehicle was still at the home.

Law enforcement officials searched the area near his home on foot and with dogs to track a scent. Hamlyn's cell phone and pager were missing, and his cell phone had been turned off since Sunday, police said.

Although it may not have affected this case, Hofkamp said there is no rule on the amount of time needed to pass before people can be reported as missing. Often it is a case of the sooner reported, the better the chances of finding people, he said.

"The 24-hour rule you hear on television is just not true," Hofkamp said.

Hofkamp was pleased Hamlyn was found relatively healthy and safe.

"I'm really glad for the family that they had closure and that it turned out very well," he said.

Contact Kayla Gahagan at 394-8410 or kayla.gahagan@rapidcityjournal.com; or Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com.