Search for missing man with dementia ends happily thanks to police helicopter

We love a story with a happy ending.

On Saturday (October 31), our force control room received a call from a lady reporting her elderly dad missing.

He had set off on a short walk back to his home – a route that would normally take him around 20 minutes – but he hadn’t arrived.

His family and police were growing increasingly concerned as it was now dark, cold, and was beginning to get foggy.

The call handler gathered further information about the man’s welfare, and it was revealed he lives with dementia.

Response officers sprang into action and were swiftly deployed to the area where he was last seen to carry out enquiries.

A specialist Initial Missing Person Search Advisor (IMPSA) and Police Search Advisor (PolSA) were brought in to coordinate the search, and support was also sought from a force drone pilot, dog section, Mountain Rescue and the National Police Air Service (NPAS).

The force media team were also alerted to the incident, and a social media post appealing for information was issued on the force’s Facebook page.

As a result, several members of the public contacted the control room to report possible sightings of the man. These were followed up by officers but, sadly, none of the sightings were positive.

Then, just before 12.20am this morning, NPAS spotted a possible heat source coming from a large, overgrown wooded area, near where the man had last been seen around 12 hours earlier.

They directed officers on the ground to the location, where it was confirmed to be the missing man who was unable to get out of thick undergrowth and was amongst thorn bushes. Miraculously he was fit and well, other than a few cuts and scrapes.

Officers helped him through the dense undergrowth and to the only safe way out of the area – by police helicopter, where he hitched a lift in style to Aykley Heads before heading to University Hospital of North Durham to be checked over.

We wish him and his family well.

Did you know - around seven in ten people living with dementia will wander from home and go missing at least once.

If you care for someone with dementia, you can fill out a Herbert Protocol form, which includes details about the person, their past, their habits, and places they go. This information can prove invaluable to the police if they ever go missing.

For more information, visit www.durham.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/missing-person/missing-persons/vulnerable-people-at-risk-of-going-missing/dementia-missing-risk-herbert-protocol/