A missing 92-year-old Doña Ana County man was located within two hours of wandering from his home Monday evening, thanks to his Project Lifesaver bracelet that successfully tracked his location.
Severo Rodriguez, who lives with his family in the 15000 block of B Street in Organ, had reportedly left home at approximately 5:45 p.m.When Rodriguez’s granddaughter noticed he was missing, she immediately called Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Authority.
Doña Ana County Sheriff’s deputies and a Project Lifesaver coordinator were sent to Rodriguez’s last known location. With the help of a radio receiver, they tried to ping Rodriguez’s bracelet transmitter.
Within two hours, the receiver began to pick up a signal near U.S. 70. Employees from the NASA Test Facility had reportedly driven by Rodriguez on the NASA access road and offered Rodriguez a ride home.
Rodriguez’s bracelet was picked up by the receiver as the car drove by, and the coordinator was able to give a license plate number to deputies ahead. The car was stopped and Rodriguez was identified. Deputies then returned him home safely.
Project Lifesaver is a service hosted by the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department that provides timely response to save the lives and reduce potential injury of adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer’s, dementia, certain forms of autism and other related conditions. The service is available to anyone in Doña Ana County for a $10 monthly maintenance fee.
For more information, or to get a bracelet, call Project Lifesaver Coordinator Stephen Dail, (525) 525-8862.
Information from Dona Ana County