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Missing woman with dementia found after remote desert search
Police rescued a woman with dementia after her car went over a retention wall. Officers used an Apple AirTag and real-time data to locate the vehicle in a remote area. FOX 10's Jacob Luthi learns more about the vital tool that may have helped save a life.
PEORIA, Ariz. - A dramatic overnight rescue by the Peoria Police Department highlights how new technology is changing police response, helping officers find a missing, endangered woman in a place they likely never would have seen from the ground.
What we know:
Just before 11 p.m. on April 24, Peoria Police Air-1 launched an urgent search for a missing woman with dementia. The department says if it was not for the technology available to them, this rescue could have been a recovery days later.
The dramatic late-night rescue was caught on camera, when the woman was tracked using an Apple Airtag near Lone Mountain Parkway and Vistancia Boulevard. The same AirTag and the Real-Time Crime Center, confirmed to officers she had not left the area, and they narrowed the search to a remote stretch of desert. From the air, crews spotted the car off North Montello Road near a construction site after it went over a retention wall and ended up vertically stuck, hidden from view.
The police helicopter guided first responders in with a searchlight, where the woman was rescued, treated on scene, and taken to the hospital.
What they're saying:
Sergeant Shelly Montes says it is a life-saving response powered by speed, technology, and teamwork.
"Without RTCC first, we wouldn't have been able to pinpoint where she was. And then without our asset of the air unit, she would have not been found. Patrol units would not have been able to locate her. Even if the RTC said she's somewhere in this location. There's no way anyone on foot would have been able to locate her unless they knew," Sgt. Montes said.
Why you should care:
It has been just over one year since Peoria opened its Real-Time Crime Center, using technology and interagency coordination to give officers critical intelligence before they arrive. The sergeant said this shows why it is such a vital tool for the community.
The Source: Peoria Police Department