Billerica – On Tuesday, September 3, 2013, just prior to midnight, the Billerica Police received a report of a missing elderly female that may be endangered. The report was made by a family member who lives with the missing woman. According to the information provided, the missing woman was not from the United States and does not speak English. She had reportedly left the home at around 4:00 pm to go for a walk and had not returned. Although the woman often takes afternoon walks, the reporting party emphasized that her walks have never exceeded two hours. In addition to the unexplained disappearance, it was confirmed that the missing woman had no means of communication, access to finances or any personal contacts in the area. After an approximate three hour search of the area using local public safety resources, including a canine, coupled with the fear that the missing woman could have suffered a medical episode of some unknown nature, a decision was made to issue a Code Red reverse call to Billerica residents. The purpose of the Code Red was to attempt to elicit information from the general public who may have seen the missing woman earlier in the night. In retrospect, based on the early hour of the Code Red notification, the Billerica Police feel the use of this highly effective public notification tool would have been better served at a more appropriate hour. We appreciate this notification may have cause some disruption and we are constantly reevaluating the methods and effectiveness of our various public safety response procedures. Thank you again for your time and understanding.

Any additional questions should be directed to Deputy Chief Roy Frost, 978-667-1212 x120