An elderly woman with dementia was reported missing Friday morning after she walked out of an assisted living facility but was later located by an alert customer and employee at a retail store in Deer Park.
Dolores Catherine Steen-Fahey, 80, walked out of Solana Assisted Living, 21840 West Lake Cook Road in Deer Park, around 6 a.m. Friday, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said.
Steen-Fahey suffers from dementia and has no access to a vehicle or a phone. Sheriff’s deputies, a sheriff’s canine team and other area law enforcement officers responded to the area to assist in the search.
“An alert Deer Park Banana Republic customer and employee saw Dolores’ information on social media and saw she was in the Banana Republic store,” Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said.
They called 911 and sheriff’s deputies arrived within a minute. Deputies confirmed the woman was indeed Steen-Fahey, and she was unharmed and in good condition.
Paramedics evaluated the woman at the scene and returned her to Solana Assisted Living, Covelli told Lake and McHenry County Scanner, adding that the sheriff’s office believes she was out in the cold for several hours before Banana Republic opened.
“The Lake County Sheriff’s Office thanks the community for their tips and watchful eye, which ultimately led to Dolores being located,” the sheriff’s office said Friday morning.