Sheriff's police dog finds missing nursing home resident

A Cook County Sheriff's police dog led its handler to a happy ending Tuesday after a resident of a Hoffman Estates nursing home went missing from her room.

Administrators of the Brighton Gardens Assisted Living Center, 2150 Golf Road, called police Monday evening to help search for an 88-year-old woman with demetia. Staff had checked everywhere in the building that they thought she might be, police said. With bitingly low temperatures outside, the potential for injury or death was great had the woman somehow managed to get outside. Hoffman Estates police called the sheriff's police and requested the help of their dog.

"There was a concern that she could be outside the facility," said Steve Patterson, spokesman for the sheriff's office.

Officer Jim Pacetti and his bloodhound, Melanie, arrived at 1:30 a.m. and went to the woman's room. There, Melanie sniffed the woman's pillowcase, and started checking the building just to ensure nothing had been overlooked. Within a few hours, Melanie found the woman safely asleep in the bed of an unoccupied room.

"Many times these stories don't have the happy ending that this one did," noted Patterson. "We were glad that she was found unharmed."

The outcome stands in stark contrast to a recent death of a nursing home resident in Itasca.

Sarah "Sally" Wentworth died early Feb. 5 at The Arbor of Itasca after the 89-year-old woman wandered outside in her flannel nightgown and bare feet. DuPage County State's Attorney Joseph Birkett announced criminal charges against a nursing assistant there.