'She's our miracle mama': Missing 80-year-old Naples woman found in garage
Margaret Gallaway hadn't had anything to eat in a week, and the only thing she drank might've been a Vitamin water, stuck in a neighbor's closed garage.
More: Doorbell video leads to missing Collier woman, Margaret Gallaway, in neighbor's garage
More: Collier County Sheriff's Office step up search for Naples woman, 80, with Alzheimer's
Her survival is a miracle, nurses told her husband, Michael Gallaway, on Sunday.
The nonverbal Naples 80-year-old who has Alzheimer's disease went missing Oct. 16, and a search led by the Collier County Sheriff's Office followed. Nearly a week later, they found her trapped Sunday in a neighbor's garage.
Deputies went door to door in her Crown Pointe community on Sunday and reviewed doorbell video footage from the day she went missing. They saw "a brief glimpse of a person entering a nearby open garage." After getting permission from the family of the homeowner, who was out of town, they entered the garage and found her.
Maureen Taylor, Michael and Margaret Gallaway's daughter, spoke at a sheriff's press conference Monday afternoon on behalf of her family to express gratitude to those who helped search, thanking deputies who worked on their Sunday off to find her mother.
"The doctor said, if they didn't find her yesterday, she would not have survived," she said. "So, we are so thankful to the dedication of this department and their success, and we feel so blessed that she lives in a community with so many good people that gave up their lives for a week to search for her."
More: Doorbell video leads to missing Collier woman, Margaret Gallaway, in neighbor's garage
Margaret Gallaway went to Naples Community Hospital for evaluation after she was found, the sheriff's office announced Sunday.
Her husband, Michael Gallaway, said he was ecstatic when police told him they found his wife.
"I'm so proud of the sheriff's department and all the people that helped them find her," he said. "I'm just so grateful."
Margaret Gallaway was extremely dehydrated, but her vitals are returning to normal, Michael Gallaway said. He doesn't know how much longer she will be in the hospital.
"My youngest daughter says she's our miracle mama," he said.
Community search efforts spanned six days
Col. Jim Bloom detailed the six-day search at the press conference Monday and said they searched for Margaret on foot, ATV, by boat, diver and from the air. Nearly every bureau was involved, and they used resources such as drones, sonar, heat sensing cameras and message boards.
The effort was widespread. Several community groups such as the Florida Urban Search and Rescue task force team six, Greater Naples Fire Rescue District, North Collier Fire District, Peace River Canine Search and Rescue, Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and the Marco Patriots aided the department in its search.
More: Naples woman with Alzheimer's still missing, search efforts continue
But finding Margaret Gallaway really came down to walking door to door and working with Crown Pointe residents.
"We can have all the technology in the world... but in the end, it comes down to men and women serving their public and rolling out what we took an oath to," Bloom said.
Deputies made contact with every resident and ensured each home that could be searched was, said Commander Christopher Goldhorn who spearheaded the investigation.
They asked neighbors within a 2-mile radius to check their surveillance cameras for Margaret, which provided the detectives with several videos.
Detectives worked through the weekend, canvassing the area and making sure each resident was contacted.
Neighbors who went out of town remotely checked their cameras but didn't see anything, according to Goldhorn. But detectives discovered another camera that the homeowners didn't think would show a helpful view.
After reviewing this camera, which takes still photos every six minutes, detectives found an image of an unknown object in front of an open garage captured at 3:25 p.m. the day Margaret Gallaway went missing.
Although the homeowners were out of town, detectives contacted their daughter in Wisconsin who provided a garage code.
Detectives then entered and found Margaret Gallaway, who spoke her first words in months, Goldhorn said.
She had no access to food, but detectives found an empty Vitamin water bottle.
Emma Behrmann is a breaking news reporter for The Naples Daily News and News-Press. You may reach her at emma.behrmann@naplesnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: 'Miracle mama,' Naples family of missing 80-year-old 'so grateful'
