NAPLES, FLORIDA: An elderly woman in her 80s was found alive and well in a garage six days after her sudden disappearance in her Florida community.
On Sunday afternoon, October 22, Margaret Gallaway was found “safe” inside a Crown Pointe resident’s garage, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
A missing person’s report was filed in her name on October 16, after family members last saw her in the Crown Pointe community at about 2 pm local time that same day.
According to the deputies, a neighbor’s surveillance footage briefly showed Gallaway “entering a nearby open garage.”
How was Galloway trapped inside the garage?
The homeowner eventually closed the garage, unaware that the woman was inside, and left the area to visit family the following day. The owner, when contacted by the authorities, permitted them to enter the garage, where the woman was found alive.
“My youngest daughter says she’s our miracle mama,” the woman’s husband, Michael Gallaway, told Naples Daily News.
CCSO Commander Chris Goldhorn said at a press conference on Sunday that authorities carried out repeated searches of the community while Galloway was missing and asked residents to check their surveillance footage for anything out of the ordinary.
One family, which was out of town when the search began, reviewed their footage and spotted an unknown object in front of a garage across the street at about 3.25 pm, Goldhorn said. Even though the owner was out of town, authorities contacted his daughter, who provided a garage code to get inside.
It was at that time police discovered Galloway, who is a “non-verbal dementia patient.” Goldhorn said she was cooperative and spoke her first words in months.
In what condition was Galloway found?
Galloway did not appear to have access to food, though she may have consumed Vitamin Water inside the garage. “Doctors said if they didn’t find her yesterday, she would not have survived,” Galloway’s daughter Maureen Taylor said at a press conference on Sunday. “So we are so thankful for the dedication to this department.”
According to CCSO, the woman was transported to a local hospital. Goldhorn said Galloway “was not in good shape” when she was found, noting that the conditions inside the garage “were not good,” CBS affiliate WINK-TV reported.
“As we know, a lot of times, these types of incidents don’t turn out in this manner,” CCSO Colonel Jim Bloom said Sunday. “So we feel very fortunate that it did, and we are very grateful for the hard work.”
While speaking on behalf of her family, Taylor thanked crews for their efforts to find Galloway safe and sound. “We just want to express our deep appreciation to everyone who was involved,” Taylor said, later adding, “We were overwhelmed by the support that we received and we couldn’t be more thankful.”
