Senior rescued in wooded area of Toronto after nearly 7 hours missing

A new video released by police shows the rescue of a missing senior who’d been wandering in a wooded area of Toronto in December for nearly seven hours.

Betty, a senior living with Alzheimer's, was reported missing to the Toronto Police Service in December 2023 by her husband.

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“I called my wife and there was no response anywhere,” the husband said in the video. “I was so worried. I looked everywhere and I think she was totally lost.”

So, he called officers with 43 Division and reported his wife missing. Betty only had light slippers and a jacket before she disappeared, prompting concern from both her husband and officers, the video explained.

A subsequent search saw officers utilize drone videography and thermal imaging to search a wooded area near Ellesmere Road in Scarborough.

“We set up the drone, set up a search pattern of a couple 100 acres, which would be next to impossible for ground officers to search, and when I turned on my last grid lineup by Ellesmere, a thermal signature popped up on my screen,” Cst. Mike Ramsay said.

“I flew the drone up and put the spotlight on – the bush was heavy, but [...] you could see a person's face through the trees,” he continued.

From the time Betty was reported missing to the time she was found nearly seven hours had elapsed.

“She was shivering,” Ramsay said. “It’s possible hypothermia was starting to set in.”

Betty’s husband expressed his "utmost" gratitude to the service to end the video.

“They were so efficient, so professional and they have the knowledge [..] and tools,” he said.