Missing for days, woman with dementia found alive in woods

WHITEVILLE, N.C. – An 85-year-old woman with dementia was found alive but dehydrated in North Carolina four days after she went missing in South Carolina.

News outlets report a caregiver for Jaxie Rogers left the woman in a car Friday while she went inside a grocery store in Latta, South Carolina. The caregiver last saw Rogers driving away at a slow speed.

Utility crews in Columbus County, North Carolina, spotted Rogers’ abandoned car on Tuesday near the Lumber River. Sheriff’s deputies from two counties then searched for her, finding Rogers in woods about a half mile (0.8 kilometres) away. Officials believe she travelled through high water to get to the spot where she was found.

Deputies say Rogers, though dehydrated, was in good spirits. She was checked out at a hospital.