Garland County Project Lifesaver works

A 63-year-old woman reportedly suffering from Alzheimer’s disease wandered off from a local department store Friday, February 24, was found within about 20 minutes thanks to Project Lifesaver.

The woman was at Wal-Mart, 1601 Albert Pike, with her sister, who had gone inside the store briefly while leaving the woman waiting in the car, Garland County Sheriff’s Lt. James Martin said.

The woman apparently got out of her sister’s car and walked over to another person’s car and asked for a ride to what turned out to be the woman’s former residence.

The sister called for help after discovering her sister gone at 1:05 p.m., and sheriff’s deputies, including Capt. Shelby Terry, arrived on the scene at 1:13 p.m. and began canvassing the area, Martin said.

The woman was wearing a Project Lifesaver bracelet and Terry was able to locate her using the band’s radio signal at 1:35 p.m. on Greenwood Avenue – 23 minutes after arriving on the scene.

The person who had given her a ride had dropped her off at her request and she was found near where she used to live. She was unharmed and returned to her family.

“Just another good example of how well the program works,” Sheriff Larry Sanders said.