Sterling Heights Police, Michigan State Police Rescue Missing 78-Year-Old After 10-Hour Search

A 78-year-old man with dementia was found alive after a 10-hour search in the dense woods of Dodge Park, Sterling Heights, Michigan. The Sterling Heights Police Department initiated a full-scale search earlier that day, and as night fell, the Michigan State Police deployed their Trooper 2 helicopter to assist. Around 9:30 p.m., the helicopter crew spotted the man about 100 yards into the woods, lying in mud beneath a fallen tree and too weak to walk. Ground officers carried him out of the woods to a nearby trail, then transported him via a utility vehicle to Farmstead Park, where medical personnel took him to the hospital. The man is in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery. Police Chief Andy Satterfield credited the successful rescue to the critical assistance and teamwork between the Sterling Heights Police and Michigan State Police helicopter unit, emphasizing that without their collaboration, the outcome might have been very different.