Body of missing elderly woman with dementia found in Chicago's south suburbs
CHICAGO — Authorities say that the body of an elderly woman with dementia who was missing for over a week has been recovered 11 days after she had last been seen.
Yolanda Howell, 78, had last been seen in the 10088th block of Cedar Avenue in Country Club Hills on Oct. 8.
Cook County Forest Preserve police said around 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, a search and rescue drone found a person laying in a ravine in the Forest Preserve's Bartel Grassland property. The body was that of a Black woman who showed no sign of life, police said. There was no initial indication the person was a victim of a violent act.
An intense emergency search effort that involved multiple agencies, including the Lake County Sheriff's office and even Chicago Police, lasted for hours on Wednesday as volunteers in the air and on the ground searched for Howell. Police were led by K-9 units following her scent to a parking lot near a walking trail. A short time later, the scent went cold.
Earlier in the week, family members expressed disappointment, saying police had not publicized Howell's disappearance.
Her family said she suffers from dementia, which was getting progressively worse over the years. Relatives said she has a habit of leaving the house she shared with her husband while he was asleep, and she would wander around the neighborhood. She would sometimes walk into neighbors' homes, and go to sleep in an empty bed.
"She raised like so many people and she was like a pillar of our family," Howell's family said.
Javanna Plummer, Howell's granddaughter said the family was "feeling devastated that she's gone, but supported because we know that she was loved and she will be missed."
Her granddaughters said they'll especially miss her delicious cakes and spending the holidays at her house.
As of Saturday afternoon, it remained unclear exactly how Howell died.
