ST. GEORGE – Multiple police agencies were involved in the search for a missing 80-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease Thursday night. Hours after the search began, she was located 2 miles from where she was last seen.
Patricia Russell, of St. George, was reported missing to St. George Police around 4:45 p.m., according to a text message police sent to area residents asking them to be on the lookout for her.
While St. George and other police agencies began to search for Russell, she was sighted leaving Kohl’s in Washington City around 6:30 p.m.
By this time agencies involved in the search included Washington City Police, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Hurricane City Police, St. George Police Officer Lona Trombley said.
Each of those agencies, including St. George, are involved in the Project Lifesaver program. The program enables emergency responders to track down at-risk individuals who are outfitted with special bracelets that act as tracking devices.
Russell is a client of the program due to her having Alzheimer’s and having a tendency to wander, Trombley said.
The woman was found in the area of Sterling Court at 324 N. 1680 East in St. George around 8: 40 p.m., about 2 miles from her last reported location in Washington City two hours before. While she had her Lifesaver bracelet on, she was found before searchers with the tracker equipment were able to zero in on the device.
Russell was found to be alert and able to walk and in good condition, though she had scraped her knees at some point and was being checked out by medical personnel, Trombley said.
St. George Police had set up an incident command center in the parking lot of Costco in St. George on 3050 East and coordinated the search from there.
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