Video shows police finding elderly Detroit-area woman knee-deep in creek 5 hours after she left home
(CBS DETROIT) - Video shows authorities finding an elderly Metro Detroit woman knee-deep in a creek without her shoes on. The woman was found in the wooded area five hours after she had left her home.
The incident happened in the 38000 block of Florence Ave. in Westland on Sept. 5.
An officer responded to the home after receiving a report of a missing elderly woman. When the officer arrived, the missing woman's husband told him that his wife was last seen in their backyard by their neighbor at around 4:30 p.m.
The husband couldn't find her, so he called the police when the sun started setting before 9 p.m.
After learning more information, authorities remembered that earlier that evening, they had gotten a report of a "suspicious female in the woods that matched the description of the missing woman.
Police say making this connection was crucial in their search for the woman because the wooded area where the woman was reportedly seen was "extensive."
The department used every available unit to search the wooded area, and eventually, Sgt. Derek Gomez, the officer who initially responded to the missing persons report, heard a voice.
After hearing that, he called out and approached the sound, where he found the woman standing nearly knee-deep in a creek without shoes on.
Police said she was wet and "shaking from what likely was the onset of hypothermia." Gomez helped the woman out of the creek and wooded area, and she was taken to a local hospital by fire officials.
"The Westland Police Department would like to commend the actions of Sergeant Gomez and all of the officers that assisted in searching for and locating this missing elderly woman," said Westland police. "Without the immediate response by these officers this situation could have resulted horribly for the missing woman and her family."