STANDISH (WGAN) – Cumberland County Sherriff’s office received a call from a man in Standish reporting that his 67-year-old wife with early onset dementia was missing.  She was last seen going outside with a jacket and her slippers on.   Multiple units from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office responded, as well as the Maine Warden Service. A Code Red mass notification alert was sent out while deputies, including a Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit searched for her.

Over an hour later, a deputy heard a faint voice, and again searched the area in the back of the residence. The deputy soon heard a call for help. The woman was found in the woods behind the residence, she soaked from the waist down and shaking uncontrollably. The temperature was below freezing in the area.

Cumberland County Sheriff’s Deputies carried her out of the woods and back into her residence. It’s believed, had she not been located, in less than an hour she may not have survived. Captain Craig Smith with the Cumberland County Sherriff’s office commended the great teamwork from the public safety organizations involved, including the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, the Cumberland County Regional Communications Center and the Maine Warden Service brought the woman home safely.