An avid New York Yankees fan even after he moved to Boynton Beach, Fla., Jerry Zitser wouldn’t have missed a televised game, so his daughter knew something was wrong when she phoned the 86-year-old’s home and he didn’t answer.

The two had a ritual of talking near the beginning of every game, frequently discussing the merits of the pitcher, Suzi Zitser recalled. That, too, was something her father wouldn’t miss. So her next step that summer afternoon in 2012 was to call one of her dad’s neighbors, asking her to fetch one of the gated community’s security guards to check on Jerry Zitser in person.