Missing elderly woman found hiding inside Madison Township home

Shelley Terry, Star Beacon, Ashtabula, Ohio
·2 min read
40

Jul. 27—MADISON TOWNSHIP — An elderly woman, missing for about eight hours, was discovered inside a house Monday night after the homeowner got out of the shower.

Police were first called to the 2100 block of Hubbard Road around noon Monday for a report of a disoriented woman walking in the roadway, according to the Madison Township Police Department.

A motorist told officers that she was walking southbound in the northbound lane and seemed "unaware of her surroundings," police said.

Police searched the area for the woman, to no avail, according to police.

An hour later, an officer was approached by an employee of the nearby Lantern of Madison assisted living facility. The employee said resident, Phyllis Raines, 76, was missing and was last been seen exiting the facility at about 11:45 a.m., according to police reports.

A "Reverse 911" was sent out to residents north of Route 20 between County Line Road and Hubbard Road, while several Lake County law enforcement officers searched for Raines, according to police.

For about five hours, eight northeast Ohio agencies tried to find Raines, checking with businesses, searching fields, reviewing home surveillance footage, and following up on leads from the community.

Then at 7:40 p.m., a homeowner living in the 2100 block of Hubbard Road notified police that he discovered an elderly woman had entered his home while he was in the shower. Officers rushed to the house and discovered the woman was Raines, according to police.

She told first responders that she was "exhausted from her travels" and was hiding from the police to avoid being found. She was checked out by EMTs and returned to the assisted living facility, according to police.

The Madison Township Police Department thanks all the volunteers and members of the community who helped in the search, and those who brought provisions for all the personnel involved in the eight-hour search.

Harpersfield Township Fire Department sent a mutual aid crew over to Lake County to help with the search, Fire Chief Frank Henry said.

Other agencies involved were Madison Village Police Department, Madison Township Service Department, Lake County Regional Drone Team, Perry Village Police Department K9, North Perry Village Police Department, Madison Fire District, Perry Fire District, Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Branch K9 Search Team.