Sterling Heights police, Michigan state troopers rescue missing 78-year-old man after 10-hour search
The Sterling Heights man, who state police said has dementia, was found alive and conscious in a heavily wooded area of Dodge Park. The city park, which is along Utica Road, includes over 51 acres.
The man was reported missing earlier in the day, with a "full-scale search" initiated by the Sterling Heights Police Department. As night fell with his whereabouts still unknown, the Michigan State Police Trooper 2 helicopter team joined the search.
About 9:30 p.m., the aviation team saw on their tracking equipment the image of what appeared to be a person just off a Dodge Park trail. Sunset had taken place at 8:59 p.m. that night in Sterling Heights.
"I believe we've found your subject," the helicopter team called out to dispatchers in a video provided by Michigan State Police.
Then speaking to the crews on the ground, the air crew said, "Whomever just hit me with the light, he's about 10 feet in front of you."
The man was about 100 yards into the woods, lying in mud beneath a tree, the police report said. Given his condition, officers carried him out of the woods to the trail, where he was placed in the Kubota utility vehicle and transported to Farmstead Park, which is a nearby city-owned park in Sterling Heights.
Medical crews met the missing man and police at Farmstead Park and took him to the hospital. He has been reunited with family. The man was reported in stable condition Monday and is expected to make a full recovery.
"There is no doubt in our minds that had it not been for the critical assistance of the Michigan State Police helicopter, this outcome could have been very different," Sterling Heights Police Chief Andy Satterfield said. "All of the officers involved demonstrated unwavering determination, and their teamwork, skill, and refusal to give up quite literally saved a life."
The Sterling Heights department extended its gratitude to Michigan State Police, Sterling Heights Community Emergency Response Team, Citizens' Patrol, Police Explorers, and other officers who were involved in the search.
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