WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - An elderly man went missing Thursday evening around 6:30 p.m., but was found nearly 2 hours later, according to the Wilmington Police Department.
Officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Summerlin Falls Dr. in reference to an 82-year-old male, with dementia, who had wandered away from home.
After a 2 hour search involving 4 officers, SABLE, and WPD detectives, the man was located approximately 30 yards into the woods just off of Carolina Beach Rd. at George Anderson Dr., according to police.
A detective discovered the victim while driving slowly down Carolina Beach Rd., with his windows down, in order to hear sounds from the woods. The detective heard movement just inside the wood line and stopped his vehicle to investigate.
According to officials, the victim's foot was caught in a culvert, down in a depression covered with scrubs. The elderly man was suffering from mild hypothermia, cuts and scratches and was transported to New Hanover Regional Medical Center where he is expected to make a full recovery.
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