19-03-2025
Fauquier County sergeant reunites missing 91-year-old man with daughter
FAUQUIER COUNTY, Va. () — A sergeant in Fauquier County is being recognized after he quickly reunited a missing 91-year-old man with dementia back with his daughter Tuesday.
According to the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office (FCSO), on March 18 just after 3 a.m., the Emergency Communications Center received a call from the daughter and caregiver of her 91-year-old father.
She told dispatchers that she searched their home, in The Plains area, but could not find her dad and the back door was left open. She also explained he suffered from dementia and is enrolled in Project Lifesaver with the FCSO.
'No longer in Ward 7 will this behavior be tolerated': Massive trash pile in Northeast DC cleaned up; investigations underway
According to the sheriff's office, the Project Lifesaver International (PLI) program is a public non-profit organization providing training and technology to help find people with cognitive disorders prone to wandering off. Each person enrolled in the program is given a bracelet that emits a unique frequency from a piece of tracking equipment.
The emergency communications team sent deputies and medics to the home along with Sgt. J. Welch who is trained in the PLI program.
Once on the scene, Welch began taking signal readings with a device around the home but could not pick up a tracker. He then walked into a wooded area near a creek and up a small hill, where his device began to capture a signal connected to the missing man's bracelet.
WATCH: Woman rescued after car plunges into Potomac River
As Welch followed the signal, he was led to a neighbor's property, where he found the man inside the back seat of the neighbor's vehicle.
The search took only 33 minutes, according to the FCSO.
Officials noted that 18 clients are currently enrolled in the PLI program.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
