Woman Wanders From Vernon Facility Then Found About 3 Miles Away

VERNON, CT — A 72-year-old woman wandered away from a Vernon nursing facility Wednesday morning and was found by first-responders after a jaunt in the fog about 3 miles away, police said.

Police were notified at about 6:45 a.m. that the woman had left Vernon Manor, located at 180 Regan Road. Police estimated she wandered away from the facility about 30 minutes prior to the call.

An extensive search was conducted with canine units from Vernon and Enfield and the Vernon police drone unit. Because of foggy conditions and heavy foliage, the search was difficult from above, police said.

The woman was found slightly more than a hour later near Phoenix Street by an emergency crew preparing the search the Rails-to-Trails system with an all-terrain vehicle, police said.

That was the most likely route, but not a single jogger, walker or cyclist noticed her on the trail, or at least did not notify authorities, police said. Along town roads, that's about 3 miles away from Vernon Manor.

The woman was not hurt and refused medical attention at the scene, police said. A family member picked her up, police said.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

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