Hand-In-Hand Officer Walks Dementia Sufferer Home

CHARLES COUNTY, MD — A small, sweet gesture by a 21-year-old Maryland police officer -- taking the hand of an elderly dementia sufferer as he walked her home -- has captured hearts everywhere.

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a woman whose 81-year-old mother was missing on Friday. Roberta takes a daily walk up and down the driveway of the home where she lives with four generations of her family. But, when she didn't return, her daughter sounded the alarm because Roberta has dementia.

Five officers, including Officer Brandon Morrison and Sgt. Clarence Black, along with a K9 began to search the heavily wooded area.

When they found the confused grandmother 40 minutes later, she asked if the officers were out taking a walk, too. They replied, “Yes," since it was a beautiful day, the department shared in its description of the search.

A relieved Roberta told them she had lost her way. "No problem," said Officer Morrison, 21, who gently took the woman's hand and, along with the other officers, walked her to a patrol car.

As they followed the trail, Sgt. Black snapped a photo of the moment between generations, and the department shared it on Facebook. From there, it took off, with more than 200,000 likes and nearly 50,000 shares to date.

Along the way, the officers chatted with Roberta and asked her what the key to a long, healthy life was. "Eat good and stay active," she replied.

Black and Morrison drove Roberta home to a relieved family.

"Roberta didn't think it was a big deal and even said to her daughter 'I'm fine, I took a walk with these nice officers,'" Black told “The Today Show.” "We were just happy to bring her back to safety."

The sheriff’s department said it was glad to have a role in a frightening situation that ended happily.

“For that, they were thankful,” the department said. “For us, it's the rewarding part of policing.”

»Photo of Officer Brandon Morrison, 21, walking Roberta, 81, home taken by Sgt. Clarence Black; courtesy of Charles County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page