Missing elderly Ferndale man found in joint search with sheriff, border protection
A missing elderly Ferndale man was found late Thursday with the help of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter, according to CBP and the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.
An 89-year-old man was reported missing from his home in the 3000 block of Unick Road around 9 p.m. on Aug. 22, according to Chief Deputy Kevin Hester with the sheriff’s office. The man suffers from dementia, Hester said.
Sheriff’s deputies, search and rescue volunteers and CBP personnel searched the area for around two hours. A helicopter crew from CBP’s Air and Marine Operations based out of Bellingham launched a helicopter, known as “Omaha,” a little after 9:30 p.m. to help find the man, according to a Jason Givens, a CBP spokesperson.
Using the helicopter’s thermal imaging, the helicopter found the man about 50 minutes after takeoff in field about 1,500 feet from his home, according to CBP and Hester. Ground personnel found the man, who was shoeless and had “many scratches” from walking through the brush, Hester said.
The man was treated by medics and returned home.
