Missing pensioner found crawling in woods during police hunt for robbery suspect
Officers thought they had located the suspected robber but were stunned to find a missing 75-year-old crawling on the ground.
Florida: Missing elderly man found in search for suspect
A 75-year-old suffering with Alzheimer's has been rescued after police spotted him while searching for a robbery suspect. It was a case of being "in the right place at the right time" for investigators in the US state of Florida. Officers, with the help of an overhead chopper using heat-seeking technology, had been looking for a suspect on the run but stumbled upon the glow of the missing pensioner.
He had been reported missing a day earlier in the area around the University of South Florida and was found crawling on the ground.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office released footage of the rescue, showing at least four officers in a wooded area along Interstate 275 in Tampa, near Lake Magdalene.
Aerial footage from the helicopter shows police searching woodland for the suspected robber when they spotted a figure moving among the foliage.
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As they approached the individual they realised it was a man who had gone missing the day before.
Officers on the ground can be heard describing the elderly man's outfit to the helicopter to assess whether he matched the information they had about the missing man.
After they officially identified him, one of the officers in the helicopter can be heard saying: "That is wild. That's amazing, great job everybody."
The pensioner was safely walked out of the woods and reunited with his family.
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Sheriff Chad Chronister said: "What a wonderful example of being in the right place at the right time.
"Our deputies were working diligently doing their job to apprehend a suspect and were able to recognize a citizen in need of help.
"We’re grateful that this was able to end in a safe return for the missing person and his family."
The Sheriff's Office did not confirm whether the robbery suspect was ultimately located and arrested.
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