Tracking Footprints Along a Farm Road
Missing Dementia Patient Found in Just Two Hours
Muan Police Station in Jeonnam (Chief Kang Yongjun) found a missing elderly dementia patient at a livestock shed in Bokgil-ri, Cheonggye-myeon, Muan-gun, just two hours after receiving a report, and safely returned the individual to their family.
According to Muan Police on the 7th, at around 3:43 p.m. on the 5th, they received a report that a 77-year-old dementia patient had left home and had not returned. The police immediately began tracking the missing person and successfully rescued them.
Police Officer Kang Dongwon, who first discovered the footprints of the missing person, is receiving a commendation and posing for a commemorative photo. Provided by Muan Police Station
The dementia patient had gone missing in minus 10 degrees Celsius weather without a mobile phone. Upon receiving the report, Muan Police, Muan Fire Station, local government officials, village residents, and volunteer firefighters were mobilized for an all-out response. However, tracking the location was impossible, making it difficult to find the missing person.
The Muan Police investigation team formed a missing person tracking team, composed of a CCTV analysis unit and an on-site search team. They intensively analyzed nearby CCTV footage and searched along the person’s presumed route. While following the route about 2 kilometers from the residence toward a mountain road, they found footprints and began tracking them. The footprints ended in front of a livestock shed. The on-site search team crossed two fences to enter the shed and, after thoroughly searching inside and outside, found the missing person shivering from the cold.
The person was found 2 hours and 10 minutes after the missing report was filed. Although the individual showed symptoms of hypothermia and confusion due to prolonged exposure to the cold, there were no major health issues.
Kang Dongwon, a police officer from Muan Police Station’s Investigation Team 1, who was awarded a commendation for first discovering the missing person’s footprints, said, “I felt great relief at finding the dementia patient, and it was deeply moving to have saved a life.”
Kang Yongjun, Chief of Muan Police Station, stated, “For missing dementia patients, it is most important to find them within the golden time. We will continue to respond actively to missing person cases through joint efforts of the public, local government, and police, fulfilling our responsibility for the safety of residents.”
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