Video Story
Watch VideoReverse 911 may have saved a life
Story By: Nicole Vandeputte
Source: KOAA
An elderly man, with dementia, disappears on his way to the gym. In a matter of hours, a community is searching for him. The reverse 911 call that put people on the look-out could be what saved his life.
Wayne Armstrong is a 90 years old. He left his home Wednesday afternoon, to walk a couple of blocks to the gym. As the hours passed, with no sight of him, police enlisted the neighborhood to help.
Joyce Schoen got the reverse 911 call just after 8 p.m. Wednesday night. She says it was the first time she had ever gotten one. As the robotic voice described the situation, she got anxious. She says, "When he started from his house to go to the gym in the 2400 block of West Cucharras. As soon as I heard that I knew who it was."
It was her longtime friend Wayne Armstrong. Sgt. Christina Sheppard, with the Colorado Springs Police ordered the reverse 911. She says, "As it got darker I kept thinking, he's still out there. Maybe he would get cold. So yes, there was a sense of urgency."
The call went out about a mile radius from Armstrong's home. Schoen says it got her out looking. She began driving, and noticed strangers also looking. She says, "I was amazed. I was amazed. Look how many people were aware that this man was missing in this small west side community."
Around the same time, calls were coming in to police. Sgt. Sheppard says, "Dispatch received a number of calls, and one specifically credible that led us to the area where we found him." Officers followed their lead to a nearby creek. Schoen would join them minutes later. She says, "I believe God was telling me where he was. I kept hearing, go to the creek, and that's where he was sitting, on the side of the creek."
Schoen arrived just after 10 p.m. It was dark, and cold. Two officers were searching the narrow path along the creek, when she heard a voice through one of the officer's radioes. It said they found him. He was cold, and disoriented, but he was safe. Schoen says, "To find out he was okay, just left me breathless, and I cried."
Coincidentally, Schoen is also a volunteer for the Alzheimer's Association. On Thursday, she urged the family to look into "Safe Return". It's a program to help find patients suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia. You can find more information on that program under our "Story Links" section.
Police also gave a couple of good tips. They say you should give the person a cell phone. Even if they can't answer it, police can use it to track their whereabouts. Also, have them wear jewelry. It can help police identify a person, if they can't say who they are.
