(Middletown, MD) – The efforts of scores of police and volunteers who had been searching overnight for an elderly Frederick County woman missing from her home paid off when she was found alive this morning.
The woman is identified as Florence L. Leatherman, 84, of the 8400-block of Myersville Road, Middletown, Md. She was found about 8:00 a.m. today by a trained tracking team of state troopers from the State Police Special Tactical Assault Team Element. She was taken by ambulance to a hospital for an examination.
Maryland State Police at the Frederick Barracks responded to a call from Leatherman’s son with whom she lives at about 11:00 p.m. yesterday. He said he had left their home about 3:00 p.m. and returned at 10:00 p.m. to find his mother missing. His family searched the area for an hour before calling police.
A large search operation of the area was coordinated throughout the night. Teams of police and civilian volunteers searched the rural area on foot, in vehicles and with tracking dogs. A State Police helicopter assisted with an aerial search. Searchers were concerned for the welfare of Leatherman not only because of the cold temperatures, but because of several medical conditions she suffers from.
Those involved in the nine-hour search included members of the Maryland State Police Frederick and Hagerstown barracks, the Aviation Command, and Special Operations Division. Working with State Police were members of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, |
