An elderly man reported missing in County Durham was rescued by helicopter after being found stuck in thick undergrowth. Durham Constabulary officers located him in a large, overgrown wooded area in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Search launched after short walk
A woman contacted Durham Constabulary on Saturday to report that her elderly dad had gone missing. He had set off on a short walk back to his home, a journey that would normally take around 20 minutes, but he did not arrive. His family were concerned because it was dark, cold, and beginning to get foggy.
Police were deployed to the area where he was last seen to carry out enquiries. A specialist Initial Missing Person Search Advisor (IMPSA) and a Police Search Advisor (PolSA) were brought in to coordinate the search.
Multi-agency response and sightings
Support was also sought from a force drone pilot, the dog section, Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team, and the National Police Air Service HQ (NPAS). A social media post appealing for information was issued on the force's Facebook page.
Several members of the public contacted the control room to report possible sightings of the man. These were followed up by officers but, sadly, none of the sightings were positive.
Helicopter rescue and recovery
Just before 12.20am on Sunday, NPAS spotted a possible heat source coming from a large, overgrown wooded area. It was located near where the man had last been seen around 12 hours earlier.
Officers on the ground were directed to the location where they found the missing man. He was unable to get out of thick undergrowth and was amongst thorn bushes. He was found to be fit and well, other than a few cuts and scrapes.
Officers helped him through the dense undergrowth and to the only safe way out of the area – by police helicopter. The man travelled by helicopter to the Durham Constabulary Police Headquarters at Aykley Heads. He was then taken to the University Hospital of North Durham in Durham to be checked over.
