The Alliance Police Department says a 75-year old woman diagnosed with Alzheimer’s was found safe yesterday afternoon, 2-½ days after going missing and about 30 hours after a Missing Endangered Advisory was issued for her.
Police Chief David Leavitt said Patricia Eichhorn was dehydrated, but otherwise in good health. She received necessary medical care and is expected to make a full recovery.
Eichhorn had been reported missing about 10:30 Tuesday night with the Missing Endangered Advisory issued about 12-hours later. The only trace of her before she was found was on security video about 10:30 Wednesday night.
Chief Leavitt wouldn’t say where Eichhorn was found, but a posting on the Alliance police Facebook page thanked Nebraska State Trooper Juan Garfio with “checking the area surrounding Alliance and discovering our missing person.
Leavitt asked for privacy for Eichhorn’s family while thanking the Alliance community for its support and understanding, but he also said authorities were grateful for the efforts and support of everyone involved in the search for Eichhorn and her rescue.
He cited businesses that help comb through hours of security footage, volunteer groups that searched, city employees who conducted a grid search yesterday afternoon, and both the State Patrol and the Box Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
Chief Leavitt specifically singled out the State Patrol Air Wing for coming out to Alliance to help as well as to the Patrol’s drone operations, who helped the search cover large tracts of ground day and night.