Apple Watch leads rescuers to missing 59-year-old with Alzheimer’s, NH officials say
A three-day search for a missing man with Alzheimer’s ended in success with the help of his Apple Watch, officials in New Hampshire say.
After Patrick Hart, 59, walked off from his home in Warner while wearing his watch the afternoon of Aug. 21, he was nowhere to be found as local and state authorities went looking for him, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement.
Rescuers tracked Hart down on Aug. 23 after information gathered from his watch pointed to his potential whereabouts, an agency news release says.
Prior to him being found, it was believed that Hart had trekked to a tough, wooded terrain called “the minks,” according to the release.
During the search, an Air Force rescue coordination center got involved and discovered Hart’s Apple Watch lost power sometime during his disappearance, the release says. A 700-acre area was pinpointed as the location where Hart likely was when his watch shut down.
A New England K9 Search and Rescue team ultimately tracked down Hart in the woods the morning of Aug. 23 using this information, according to NH Fish and Game.
Then, Hart was helped out of the woods and into a nearby ambulance, the release says.
“New Hampshire Fish and Game would like to thank all participating agencies and groups for all their search efforts,” the agency said in a statement. “A big thank you to all the people of Warner that provided food and toiletries to searchers.”
Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that causes memory loss and gets worse with time, mostly affects individuals 65 years old and older and is considered “younger-onset Alzheimer’s” if it impacts anyone younger.
Warner is roughly 20 miles west of Concord.
This story was originally published August 24, 2022 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Apple Watch leads rescuers to missing 59-year-old with Alzheimer’s, NH officials say."
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