Elderly US Woman With Alzheimer's Survives 6 Days Locked in Garage

Story by Chloe Mayer

An elderly woman with Alzheimer's who went missing days ago has been found alive inside her neighbor's garage after becoming trapped for almost a week.

Margaret Gallaway vanished from her home in Collier County, near Naples, Florida, on Monday, October 16, sparking a huge police search as officers desperately tried to find her.

It is now known that the 80-year-old had wandered into an open garage on her street that afternoon, but was then inadvertently locked inside when the family left to go on vacation. She was eventually found on Sunday after deputies from Collier County Sheriff's Office had a break in the case when reviewing footage from a doorbell security camera which picked up a brief glimpse of somebody entering a nearby garage.

Alzheimer's disease is a condition that affects the brain, eventually leading to the development of dementia which causes catastrophic memory loss. Around 5.8 million adults live with Alzheimer's and other dementias in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gallaway, who is non-verbal according to the Naples Daily News, was last seen by relatives at around 2 p.m. on October 16 in the Crown Pointe area.

A missing person's flyer described her as being "5 feet 8 inches tall and 160 pounds with white hair and brown eyes." It added: "She was last seen wearing a white and pink blouse, pink shorts and white shoes."

There was no further news for almost a week, until an update was posted on the Collier County Sheriff's Office Facebook page on Sunday, October 22, which said: "We are thrilled to report that Margaret Gallaway has been located and is safe.

"Deputies were going door to door today reviewing doorbell footage with Crown Pointe residents when they saw video from Monday afternoon that captured a brief glimpse of a person entering a nearby open garage. They contacted the family of the homeowner, who is out of town, and obtained permission to enter. They found Margaret inside the garage.

"Deputies said the garage door was open on Monday afternoon when Mrs. Gallaway went missing but the homeowner later closed it, unaware that Mrs. Gallaway was inside. The homeowner then left Southwest Florida on Tuesday to visit family.

"Mrs. Gallaway has been transported by EMS to a hospital for evaluation.

"We want to thank the many, many first responders and members of the community who participated in this search."

It is unclear how Gallaway managed to survive for so long in the garage, and whether she had access to food or water while she was trapped.

Newsweek has reached out to Collier County Sheriff's Office by email seeking further information and comment.

The story is not the only case of a happy resolution following the search for a missing Alzheimer's patient.

A 5-year-old boy was praised as "a hero" by police in Fayetteville, Arkansas, after helping to find a missing man with Alzheimer's disease in February 2022. Police knocked at Ezekiel McCulley's home as they conducted door-to-door inquiries and the child told officers that he had seen the man heading into the woods near his school earlier that day. Officers were able to track down the missing man following his tip-off.

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Elderly US Woman With Alzheimer's Survives 6 Days Locked in Garage