A 73-year-old Plainfield woman with dementia who went missing overnight has been found safe, according to police. Darlene H. Horton was last seen around 1 a.m. Thursday near a residence by Perry Road and Stout Heritage Parkway before a search effort and a pending Silver Alert request culminated in her safe recovery hours later.
The Plainfield Police Department announced the update in a Facebook post published Thursday morning, stating simply that the missing person had been located. As Fox 59 reported, the Silver Alert that had been sought for Horton was canceled after police said she was found safe.
Hours of Uncertainty Before the All-Clear
Before she was located, authorities described Horton as being in extreme danger and possibly in need of medical assistance, per the Fox 59 report. She was described as about 5 feet tall and 150 pounds, with brown eyes. Fox 59's description noted gray and sandy hair, while the police department's own account of her appearance listed brown hair, a discrepancy that remains unresolved between the two accounts.
Police said Horton was last known to be wearing blue and white pajamas when she went missing. Her case had been entered into both state and national missing person databases as officers worked to track her down, and a request for a Silver Alert was pending with the Indiana State Police in the hours after she disappeared.
Community Asked to Help Search Overnight
In the original missing-person appeal, the Plainfield Police Department asked the community for help locating Horton, urging residents and business owners near the area to check their property, sheds, garages, vehicles, and porches. The department also asked neighbors to review doorbell and security camera footage from overnight and early morning hours, and it asked the public to share the post to widen the search.
Anyone who spotted Horton was instructed to call 911 immediately. The department also provided its own line, 317-839-8700, for anyone with information during the search.
No further details have been released about where or when Horton was found, who located her, or the condition she was in at the time. The case closed out an anxious overnight stretch for Plainfield police and the community members who answered the call to help search.
