By Staff
From staff reports
Two days before Christmas, deputies from the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, and members of the Escambia County Rescue Squad and the Escambia Search Dog Association responded to a call of a missing person on Highway 31, just north of Brewton. The missing person was an 86-year-old female who walked out her back door and could not be located.
The woman's husband began calling neighbors and friends and they started searching for the woman, but were unable to locate her. At 10:47a.m. on that morning, the Escambia County Sheriff's Office was contacted for assistance. The Escambia County Rescue Squad also was dispatched and assisted deputies in searching the roadways and open areas.
The Escambia Search Dog Association was contacted and they brought their tracking dogs to assist in the search. Since the outside temperature was so cold, it was very important that the woman be located quickly.
The woman was finally located off of Gum Tree Lane shortly after noon. She said that she was cold, but otherwise was fine.
Capt. McMullen added, "Sheriff Smith worked hard on teaming up with Operation Lifesaver, which is a program that provides tracking devices at no cost to families that have elderly family members that suffer from Alzheimer's or illnesses that result in the affected person just walking off."
A bracelet is worn by the man or woman that acts as a tracking device if the person disappears. If the person walks off or disappears, officers from the Sheriff's Department have equipment that can locate the tracking device for up to a mile away, depending on the terrain.
As an added note, Capt. McMullen stated "Once the woman was found, Investigator Hall got one of the bracelets and put it on the woman so she could be found quicker if this type of thing happens again."