The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Land Search & Drone Team assisted in locating an elderly man who walked away from his home early this morning (April 24).

Deputies were dispatched to a residence on Sweeping Pine Drive around 4 a.m. after the missing man’s wife told Officers that he had been having episodes of dementia and Parkinson’s over the last several years that resulted in the man attempting to leave the home. An earlier episode occurred at about 2:30 this morning, but the woman was able to keep her husband in the living room.

She assumed he would sit in the living room and return to normal, but when she checked on him about 15 minutes later, he was gone. She attempted to locate the man in the neighborhood, but was unsuccessful and called 9-1-1.

The Search & Drone Team mobilized and began searching the area. At about 6:30 a.m., the missing man was found behind a neighborhood residence. He was evaluated by Lincoln County E.M.S. and taken to a hospital for further treatment.

The family was advised about the Project Lifesaver Program in Lincoln County. Project Lifesaver is a program that assists in incidents involving victims of Alzheimer’s and other related disorders who have wandered from home and may have become lost. The program is designed to streamline search & rescue procedures and to help save lives.

The program operates by electronically tracking the client. A trained representative will meet with the client and caregiver once a month to ensure proper maintenance of equipment. Clients’ records and profiles are kept at the Sheriff’s Office and in the Project Lifesaver database.

For more information on Project Lifesaver, contact Lt. Jordan Cody 704 736-8866 or email jcody@lincolnsheriff.org.