Missing, at-risk Perris elder, 78, found in northwest LA County hospital
PERRIS, Calif., — Authorities say a missing and at-risk Perris woman has been located and is in the process of being reunited with her grateful family, after the 78-year-old managed to drive more than 100 miles to the city of Santa Clarita in northwest Los Angeles County. The woman, whose disappearance kicked off a statewide Silver-Alert, went missing around 7 a.m. Friday morning and she was not located until early this morning, around 5 a.m.
Initial, overnight search efforts were hampered by the fact that the victim did not have a cell phone with her or any other means to assist law enforcement officials with tracking her movements. Although sheriff’s officials have said the missing woman was eventually found to be at a Santa Clarita area hospital, they did not specify the circumstances that led to her being hospitalized.
The case was similar to another recent California disappearance that involved a Roseville elder who disappeared earlier in the week and was later found some 150 miles away in the town Red Bluff, south of Redding. He was discovered, wandering – lost and confused, but otherwise safe – outside a business, where a Red Bluff PD Sergeant happened to come along and find him. The happy ending turned even better, when the missing man got the opportunity to sit in on the department’s Taser training and was later proclaimed an honorary officer by RBPD’s Chief of Police.
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Deputies from the Perris Sheriff’s Station began looking into the disappearance of Kathy Anne Millier around 3:30 p.m. after her concerned family reported that she had driven away from her Perris home in her own vehicle that morning and never returned home, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Kamal Kabbara has since reported.
“Millier was not in possession of a phone and there was no other means to track her,” Kabbara explained.
Although deputies searched the area for Millier, they were unsuccessful at locating her, at which time they widened their search and issued the Silver Alert based on her suffering from unspecified medical conditions.
The Silver Alert was broadcast statewide through California Highway Patrol and around 5 a.m. this morning, local deputies were notified that Millier had been taken to a Santa Clarita hospital. She was continuing to receive treatment and waiting to be reunited with her family, according to the Sergeant; who did not specify the circumstances that led to her being taken to the hospital.
“Millier’s family was contacted and are in the process of being reunited with her,” said Kabbara.
SEE RELATED: Missing Roseville elder found safe in Red Bluff – Receives Taser training and becomes honorary officer
Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is asked to contact Deputy Cotoia at the Perris Sheriff’s Station at (951) 210-1000 or Sheriff’s Dispatch at (951) 776-1099. Callers can refer to incident file number PC212950060 and can remain anonymous.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.