CLAIBORNE PARISH, La. — A 77-year-old visually impaired woman was found safe Monday evening after an extensive search in a rural area of Claiborne Parish involving personnel and specialized resources from the Claiborne and DeSoto parish sheriff’s offices.
According to the DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from DPSO’s Special Operations and Readiness Division at approximately 4:30 p.m. Sept. 14. The woman had been missing from her residence since approximately 10:30 a.m.
Before DeSoto Parish personnel arrived, Claiborne Parish deputies had established a search area and gathered information surrounding the woman’s disappearance. DPSO said that early work allowed assisting teams to quickly concentrate their resources on the surrounding terrain.
Working alongside Claiborne Parish deputies, members of DPSO’s Joint Special Operations Team deployed K-9 teams, multiple drones and the department’s Air 1 aircraft.
At approximately 6:20 p.m., the woman was located in a wooded, rural area near her residence, nearly eight hours after she was reported missing. She suffered minor scrapes, bruising and dehydration and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
The search also provided DPSO an opportunity to deploy several resources coordinated through its recently formed Special Operations and Readiness Division, or SORD. The division brings specialized personnel, technology and equipment together to provide a coordinated response during critical incidents.
Within SORD, the Joint Special Operations Team combines resources from DPSO’s K-9, FAST and Aviation units. The agency said the approach allows tracking dogs to search on the ground while drones and Air 1 provide aerial support when needed.
DPSO’s recently established Real Time Crime Center can also support operations by monitoring resources as incidents unfold and relaying information to personnel in the field.
Sheriff Jayson Richardson praised the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office for its work before and during the joint operation, particularly deputies’ early efforts to gather information and establish the search area.
The sheriff also thanked personnel from both agencies for working together toward the successful outcome.
The search ultimately ended with the result authorities and the woman’s family had hoped for — bringing her home safely.