Missing Beach Park Woman With Dementia Found Near Home

BEACH PARK, IL — A Beach Park woman reported missing and in danger was found Thursday in a wooded area near her home, and was said to be confused but not hurt, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's office. Kathleen Whitlow, 67, whose family said is in the early stages of dementia, was last seen by a neighbor leaving her home Wednesday afternoon in the 38200 block of North Cornell Road. After someone told authorities that Whitlow sometimes goes into the woods, Lake County Sheriff's Detective John Hird began searching in wooded areas around her home, according to the news release.

The detective heard noises 500 yards from Whitlow’s house, where he then went and found Whitlow lying on the ground, according to the sheriff's office, adding that Whitlow had likely been there for more than a day. She was taken to a nearby hospital to be evaluated, the sheriff's office said.

According to the news release, it's not uncommon for Whitlow to go on walks during the day, and her family hadn't seen or heard from her since Wednesday as doesn't have a working cellphone.

“We take missing persons cases very seriously, especially when it involves an endangered person," Sheriff John Idleburg said, in the news release. "I am very proud of my staff who didn’t give up and searched throughout the day. Detective John Hird did an incredible job finding the missing woman in a dense wooded area, where she could have suffered serious injury or death if she was not located.”