Auckland woman Anne found after going missing from care centre

Anne, who has dementia, went missing from her Mt Albert care centre yesterday morning. She was found 18km away this morning.

An Auckland woman missing since she walked out of her care centre has been found 18km away.

Linda, who goes by her middle name, Anne, has dementia and went missing from Mt Albert Everil Orr Care Centre about 11.30am yesterday.

The 67-year-old was found just after 8am today, her son, Adam Millar, told the Herald.

“Thanks to the power of media and a wonderful community keeping eyes peeled. Three calls to me and many more to police when spotted on Highbrook Drive just past 8am.

“When asked where she spent the night, she said, ‘Just at home’. Of course [not]!”

Until now, the last time Anne was seen had been on Allendale Rd, after CCTV captured her walking through the foyer of the care centre.

Anne's son Adam Millar thanked "all the lovely people in the community" for their help in finding his mother.

An Everil Orr spokeswoman said they have rest home and hospital-level care, but not a secure dementia unit.

“We value the independence and dignity of our residents, which means they are free to come and go as they wish.

“For Anne’s safety, her family provided her with tracking devices for her phone and handbag. Sadly, on this occasion, she left without them, making it impossible to monitor her movements after departure.”

Anne was last seen in the library before staff discovered she was missing after going to take her to lunch “a short time later”, with CCTV footage showing her leaving Everil Orr at 11.31am prompting them to raise the alarm.

“We want to thank everyone - staff, volunteers, police, and members of the wider community -who worked tirelessly and offered support during this challenging time ... we are deeply grateful.”

The temperature in Auckland dropped to 4C overnight as family searched in darkness without success.

“We’re feeling lost and confused ourselves ... I feel worried, a bit sick and nauseous”, Millar said soon after dawn.

However, they were buoyed by the “lovely people in the community who know Anne, [and] have shared messages of support and what they’re doing, which we’re grateful for”.

This morning, before she was found, Millar said his mother would likely be very tired, weak and confused, and possibly slurring her words.

“[She’ll be] hungry and thirsty but may not eat or drink if offered [and she] may have picked up extra layers to keep warm.”

In June, Christchurch woman Elisabeth Nicholls was found dead after she vanished from Ryman’s Margaret Stoddart Retirement Village.

Nicholls, who had dementia, disappeared hours after being admitted for respite care.

The 79-year-old was missing for almost 3 weeks before her body was found at an abandoned property just 250m from her home, and 2.9km from the retirement village.

Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.