MOUNT VERNON – On Monday night officers from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office used equipment from Project Lifesaver to locate a missing woman. The sixty-four year old woman suffers from early Alzheimer’s disease and was discovered missing by her son. It was determined that she had left her residence around two to three hours prior.
The woman is a Project Lifesaver client. She wears a small personal transmitter that emits an individualized signal. When she was reported missing, trained officers responded using equipment that allowed them to track the transmitter signal. By using information from family members, and the Project Lifesaver equipment, officers were able to locate her in less than twelve minutes from the time they activated the receiver. She was discovered over four miles from her residence.
The purpose of Project Lifesaver is to help locate adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer’s, autism, and other related conditions. The program was activated locally in 2012.
Persons wishing to obtain more information on Project Lifesaver are urged to contact The Station Break at 740-397-2417, or the Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities at 740-397-4656.
