Police K-9 finds missing 94-year-old woman

A county police dog yesterday morning led officers to an elderly woman who had wandered away from a Severna Park assisted- living facility and fallen asleep deep in the woods.

Residents and staff of Genesis Severna Park Center at 24 Truck House Road had last seen the 94-year-old woman at about 10:45 p.m. Thursday, said Justin Mulcahy, a county police spokesman. But when employees checked on the woman shortly thereafter, she wasn't in her room.

"When unable to locate the resident during regular night rounds, staff members immediately initiated a room-to-room search of the building and grounds and contacted the local police department for assistance," said Patricia Mays, administrator for Genesis Severna Park Center.

Though police said the woman suffered from dementia, Mays said the woman is "alert and oriented" and did not previously represent a wander risk or require a "wander guard."

The woman, who requested not to be named and did not wish to talk about the incident, has been a patient at Severna Park Center for about a month, Mays said.

Fifteen officers, including supervisors, a search manager, K-9, and aviation units, arrived at the center just before midnight, said Lt. Herbert H. Hasenpusch, executive officer of Eastern District.

Officers set up a 500-meter perimeter around the facility, patrolling the streets, checking bus stops, neighborhoods and wooded areas.

Because the woman suffered from some form of dementia, police said they believed she was most likely in the woods.

The county Police Department has about 20 officers specially trained in search management for critically missing people suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia, Hasenpusch said.

"Based on that training we know people who suffer from Alzheimer's travel until they are stuck somewhere," he said. "They usually lack the ability to turn around. Sixty-three percent are found in a creek or drainage ditch, or caught in briars or bushes ... They usually won't cry out for help or respond when people shout their name."

Temperatures in Severna Park dipped into the low 50s overnight Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. "The concern was the temperature," Hasenpusch said. "As time went on the chances of her being injured increased, so time was of the essence."

About 30 minutes after the woman was reported missing, Cpl. Kevin Mont and his partner, Boss, a 5-year-old German shepherd, were called to the scene.

Boss, who has been part of the county Police Department's K-9 Unit since summer 2006, is a cross-trained patrol dog. The dog is trained to search for people - missing persons and suspects - and also is used to sniff out drugs, Mont said.

Shortly after they arrived, Boss led Mont to a wooded area next to the assisted-living facility.

Boss began pulling Mont in a circular direction, further and further away from the building. They went through community yards, around open sheds, and continuously around the Genesis building, with no luck.

"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack," Mont said. "We have nothing to go on - no direction of travel, no scent to pick up. You're just hoping to come across a scent."

After more than an hour of searching, the lieutenant in charge of the case called for the officers to meet and regroup.

Mont was walking to the meeting spot, when Boss began to pull him.

"K-9 Boss just started to pull very hard through the edge of the wooded area," Mont said.

Boss led Mont alongside the Genesis building to the opposite side of the facility.

"As we rounded the corner, I lit up the area," Mont said. "Sure enough, as soon as I got into the woods, I lit it up and there she was about 25 feet in front of us sleeping."

The woman was lying under a cluster of pine trees.

"It was pretty thick, like she had crawled underneath the stuff," Mont said. "She was partially concealed under thick brush ... I could see she was breathing, just fast asleep. She was very slow to respond to me."

The woman was wearing a nightgown and light jacket, but was barefoot when Boss and Mont found her at about 1:30 a.m. She had been missing for nearly three hours before she was located.

The woman was taken by ambulance to the Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie to be checked out, police said. Hasenpusch said she had a low temperature and was suffering from slight hypothermia.

Police said they are happy to have found the woman within a few hours.

The agency investigates about 10 critically missing person cases annually, Hasenpusch said.

"There have been a couple in the past that haven't had such happy endings," he said.

Mays said she's grateful for the quick response and training of the county Police Department.

"Their support was phenomenal and we are grateful to have them in our community," she said.