A 37-year-old man faces kidnapping and aggravated assault charges in the “suspicious” disappearance of his 78-year-old grandmother, DeKalb County police said.

Police found Gregory Williams in his grandmother’s 2014 Toyota Corolla just before 1 p.m. Thursday at a Kroger grocery store at Flakes Mill and Flat Shoals roads, DeKalb police spokeswoman Shiera Campbell said. He was initially arrested on a charge of theft by taking, police said.

“Time is of the essence,” DeKalb police Capt. J.A. Lewis told Channel 2 Action News. “We’re already behind the power curve as it is, so by getting him into custody as quickly as we can we can hopefully get some answers to the questions that we have.”

The family of Millicent Williams called authorities Wednesday when they could not reach her, Campbell said. The last time they spoke to her was Sunday.

Police searched her home in the 3800 block of Brookgreen Point near Decatur and found blood and the signs of a struggle, DeKalb police Lt. Lonzy Robertson said. Gregory Williams lives at the home.

Police dogs and volunteers were searching Thursday for Millicent Williams, according to Channel 2.

“Our biggest goal right now is to talk to the suspect and try to see if he knows her whereabouts,” Lewis said. “Our most urgent concern is that she’s been missing for almost a week.”

In other news:

Residents said they were never warned that a man had escaped.