Missing 82-Year-Old Found By Morris County Sheriff's Officer

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ - Morris County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Detective John Granato quickly located an 82-year-old client of the Office’s Project Lifesaver program who had wandered from his Dover home into a cemetery one-quarter mile away from his residence on June 14, authorities said.

Granato was dispatched to Dover at 10:05 a.m. and arrived at the missing client’s home at 10:13 a.m. and 21 minutes later, the client was found unhurt.

The client, who has dementia, was found in safe condition, holding onto a perimeter fence inside a Dover cemetery. He had roamed from home in his pajamas with only socks on his feet, officials said.

“It wasn’t cold out and the man wasn’t hurt. It was a good outcome,” Granato said.

Granato, who was assisted by Dover Patrolman Anthony Kelly in finding the client with a Project Lifesaver tracking device, turned the man over to his nephew and daughter after urging them to have him examined by a physician as a precaution as family members believe he may have wandered away several hours earlier.

“I can’t emphasize it enough that Project Lifesaver is a godsend that delivers peace of mind to families and caretakers of clients. I thank Detective Granato for getting to the scene quickly, finding the gentleman and returning him safely to his family,” Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon said.

As a K-9 Section Detective, Granato is among the Officers who would normally be dispatched to find a missing person. Although accompanied by Odie and Spike, two of the three dogs he handles, he did not deploy a dog but relied solely on the tracking device that honed in on the wrist transmitter the missing man was wearing as a Project Lifesaver client.

Granato first went to the client’s home in Dover and received a faint signal from the tracking device. The signal grew stronger as he walked until, about a quarter-mile from the man’s home, Granato spotted the client inside a cemetery clinging to a fence that prevented him from leaving the grounds.

He knew his name and seemed in good spirits, Granato said.

Started nationally in 1999 in Chesapeake, Virginia, as a swift and reliable means of finding at-risk individuals, Project Lifesaver is free of charge and provides enhanced support and assistance to Morris County residents who are primary caregivers for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia disorder, as well as families of children with Down syndrome, autism, traumatic brain injuries or cognitive impairments, officials said.

Nationally, 3,684 people have been found through Project Lifesaver programs.

All 136 adults and children who currently are enrolled in the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Project Lifesaver program wear either a wrist or ankle bracelet that is equipped with a small transmitter and individual code that emits a signal that law enforcement Officers use to track the person if they go missing.

Morris County’s average speed rate at finding clients is better than the national average – approximately 13 minutes in Morris County versus about 30 minutes on average nationally. Founded on a principle of providing peace of mind to families and caregivers, the program operates nationwide, allowing families to vacation and still use the program to find a loved one if he or she wanders.

Morris County’s Project Lifesaver program receives some funding through an Area Plan Sub-Grant from the county of Morris’s Division on Aging, Disabilities and Veterans.

For information on how to connect a loved one to Project Lifesaver visit the website.

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