The following is a press release published on the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page:
On 12-19-2021 at 9:37 AM, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a high risk missing person situation at a residence located in the 11000 block of Oat Gap Road in Potter Valley, California.
Deputies contacted the reporting person who reported their neighbor, a 77 year-old elderly male, as being missing.
The elderly male was identified as suffering from dementia. The reporting person noticed the door to the elderly male’s residence was found open and his whereabouts were unknown.
The elderly male had been last seen on 12-18-2021 at 5:00 PM at his residence.
Deputies spoke with other neighbors in the area and learned someone had seen a shoe, a pair of glasses and a metal walker belonging to the elderly male about a 1/4 mile northeast from the elderly male’s residence on 12-18-2021 at about 11:00 PM.
Deputies conducted an immediate search of the area and were unable to locate the elderly male.
Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue personnel were summoned to the location due to the elderly male being at risk due to the cold weather and suffering from dementia.
At approximately 1:14 PM Search & Rescue personnel located the elderly male tangled in wire fencing and bushes about a hundred yards from the roadway in the 11500 block of Oat Gap Road.
The elderly male was incoherent and appeared to be suffering from hypothermia.
The elderly male was subsequently flown by air ambulance to a local hospital for medical treatment.
Thank you MCSO Search and Rescue!!
Awesome picture, shows all the rescuers, PVFD, SARS, MCSO and Pilot, good job!