Missing S. Elgin woman safe in Wheeling

Wheeling police Monday found a 72-year-old South Elgin woman Monday who had been missing for almost a day after she drove home from a relative's residence in Carol Stream Sunday afternoon.

"All indications are that she is fine," said South Elgin Detective Sergeant Mike Doty. "She had been out in the cold for about five hours and was taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights for observation."

"There was no foul play involved; she was just a little disoriented," he said.

Koonce had driven her Honda Civic from the relative's home in Carol Stream at 2:15 p.m. Sunday and failed to call when she arrived in South Elgin, like she had always done in the past.

Police also had said she had always reported her comings and goings to other family members.

Police were called after her family expressed fears about her safety. Family members had said she might have been in an early stage of dementia because she had been repeating herself lately.

It was unknown how she got to Wheeling because her favorite route from Carol Stream to South Elgin had been North Avenue to Randall Road and Randall north to her home in the western part of South Elgin.

Doty said Monday afternoon that the Koonce family and the South Elgin Police Department wished to thank all parties who were involved in locating her.

All were grateful that she had been located and was safe.

thank all parties who were involved with locating Koonce this afternoon.