PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Theodora Sandlin-Williams was recovered in Fort Pierce shortly after 9 p.m. Friday.
WPTV's Cassandra Garcia spoke with authorities who said she was at Great Smile Dental on Port St. Lucie Blvd. with her husband when she wandered off.
The search began just before 5 p.m., when she was captured on surveillance video walking eastbound towards Floresta Drive. That’s where police believe she may have entered a white sedan and traveled to the Walmart on US-1.
Police spent the evening canvassing her last known location, checking in with businesses and homeowners, and searching local parks to find her. They also deployed canines and drones to assist them with the search.
We’re told the person who found her was a passerby that didn’t even know she was missing, but called 911.
"More than likely she was in a vehicle so that, again, not knowing where she might end up being in a vehicle we utilized that man power,” said Sgt. Dominick Mesiti, Port St. Lucie Police Department spokesperson.
"It was a little heightened," he added. "She’s an endangered adult, she has cognitive disabilities and she’s non-verbal so it raises our bar a little bit higher. So we want to make sure that we can recover her quickly and safely, so that’s why we deploy the resources that we have."
Sandlin-Williams was last seen at around 4:55 p.m. in the 100 block of Southwest Port St. Lucie Boulevard, police said in a Facebook post.
They said she has cognitive issues and is non-verbal.
Police said Sandlin-Williams was seen on surveillance video walking eastbound towards Southeast Floresta Drive and may have entered a white sedan.
