Calgary father, son help find missing elderly man near Claresholm
Posted Jun 27, 2022 2:46 pm.
Last Updated Jun 27, 2022 2:47 pm.
Mounties in Claresholm are praising a Calgary father and his 11-year-old son after they helped find a missing 83-year-old man in the wilderness of Porcupine Hills on Saturday.
RCMP officers say they got a call at around 7 p.m. from a man who was riding an ATV with his child in the area. The man told officers that he encountered an elderly man who appeared confused and disoriented in the woods.
“The caller and his 11-year-old son undoubtedly saved the missing man’s life,” said Cpl. Dalyn Orsten with Claresholm RCMP.
“Without their actions of calling police and assisting emergency services, the outcome could have been very different.”
To make the call for help, the father and son moved to higher ground so they could get phone service. But when they returned, the elderly man was gone.
Mounties say several agencies, including Claresholm RCMP, Fort Macleod RCMP, Willow Creek Emergency Services, Alberta Health Services, Fish and Wildlife, and RCMP Police Dog Services from Lethbridge, went looking for the missing man along with the pair from Calgary.
During their efforts, police found that the 83-year-old was from Crowsnest Pass and had been reported missing just minutes before the search began.
The man was found just before 9:30 p.m. He was assessed by medical staff before being reunited with his family.
Officers say the 83-year-old was wandering the wilderness for about eight hours after his truck got stuck earlier in the day. Police say the truck hasn’t been found yet.
