An Alzheimer’s patient in his 80’s walked away from the home of relatives in the Montclair community adjacent to Prince William Forest Park around 2:30 p.m. on the afternoon of November 10th. The man, who had a history of walking off, was dressed in short sleeves and pants. Park personnel began checking areas near his last known location. At approximately 6 p.m., Prince William County PD alerted the park and formally requested assistance. The county had put ICS into effect and had mobilized approximately 50 paid and volunteer search units. The park was identified as a low probability area due to traffic patterns and other factors. The search continued through the late night and morning hours with limited personnel. At first light, additional searchers were mobilized and the search area was increased to include part of the park. Blocking units were stationed in the park along possible routes of travel and tracking and dog teams were utilized. Park buildings and rental cabins were continually checked throughout the search. At about 2 p.m., the man was found by a volunteer ground team in Cabin Camp 1, C unit. Park EMT’s provided initial assessment of the patient. He was found to be in remarkably good health with only minor hypothermia. It’s unclear how he entered the park, crossing a dangerously congested roadway, and how he was able to withstand the low temperatures, with nighttime lows near freezing and daytime highs only in the 50’s. The area he was located in had been checked a number of times prior to his discovery, the most recent check occurring approximately one hour earlier.
