Full Notification

NCSO units were dispatched to an address in the 6800 block of Westmount Drive in reference to a missing person on Saturday at about 7:00pm. The victim was a 71 year old white female, who suffered from some type of dementia, and had been missing and was last seen at about 3:00pm that afternoon. It was also discovered that the female was a participant in the Project Lifesaver program. Members of the NCSO and Emergency Services were quick to begin deploying the equipment used for the Project Lifesaver Program. Units began fanning out in multiple directions in an attempt to locate the victim. While this was occurring, it was discovered that the victim had possibly left her residence on her vehicle. Multiple attempts to contact her by cell phone were unsuccessful. A Command Post was established nearby and other units were called in to assist including the Fire Marshal’s Office, Probation & Parole, and the NC State Highway Patrol. After deploying the equipment in an attempt to locate the victim, contact with her was finally made via cell phone. She was on Interstate 95 near the 115 mile marker. Apparently she had driven off and gotten confused about her location. Two NCSO units responded to the 115 mile marker and made contact with the victim and returned her safely home. From the time of the initial call and the time she was located was only 50 minutes.
This was the first activation of the Project Lifesaver system since the Sheriff’s Office began using it a few years ago. Although the Project Lifesaver equipment itself did not locate the victim in this case, the successful deployment of the equipment and personnel worked flawlessly as planned. Had the victim left on foot, we believe it would have also resulted in the successful location of the victim in a timely manner.
Chris Bissette of the Nash County Fire Marshal’s Office said: “Everyone's hard work and dedication to bring this program to Nash County through research, fundraising and many hours of training was all made worth-while this weekend with the location of the victim. Thanks to all the staff involved and a special thanks to all the community people who believed in this program and assisted us in making it possible to offer it here in Nash County.”

What is Project Lifesaver?
The primary mission of Project Lifesaver is to provide timely response to save lives and reduce potential injury for adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer’s, Autism, and other related conditions or disorders.
The task of searching for wandering or lost individuals with Alzheimer’s, Autism, Down syndrome, dementia or other cognitive conditions is a growing and serious responsibility. Without effective procedures and equipment, searches can involve multiple agencies, hundreds of officers, countless man hours and thousands of dollars. More importantly, because time is of the essence, every minute lost increases the risk of a tragic outcome. Working hand in hand with trained public safety agencies, Project Lifesaver International (PLI) will help you save time, money and most importantly, your loved ones.

How it works
Citizens enrolled in Project Lifesaver wear a small personal transmitter around the wrist or ankle that emits an individualized tracking signal. If an enrolled client goes missing, the caregiver notifies their local Project Lifesaver agency, and a trained emergency team responds to the wanderer’s area. Most who wander are found within a few miles from home, and search times have been reduced from hours and days to minutes. Recovery times for PLI clients average 30 minutes — 95% less time than standard operations.