A 57-year-old woman last seen in the Monticello area without her prescription medication has been found safe, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said Monday afternoon. Debra Margaret White was last seen on October 10 and classified as missing and endangered.
The sheriff's office announced at 4:53 PM Monday that White had been located safe. White had initially been reported missing after she was last seen in the Monticello area, according to WJON, which reported the search Monday with a description of White and the vehicle she was believed to be traveling in — a blue 2012 Mazda 3 hatchback bearing license plate PDP-218.
Before she was found, authorities described White as 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing about 135 pounds, with gray or blonde hair and multicolored eyes. The station's report noted the sheriff's office had asked anyone with information to call its tip line, and deputies pointed to the missing medication as the reason for her endangered classification.
Why the Case Crossed County Lines
The investigation involved two Minnesota communities: White was last seen in Monticello, and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office provides countywide law enforcement services across west-central Minnesota, per the Douglas County government.
That distance between where White was last seen and the agency that issued the alert illustrates how Minnesota law enforcement coordinates across jurisdictions. Agencies statewide enter missing person details directly into the FBI's National Crime Information Center, allowing multi-county departments to track and share vehicle information across county borders, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Alerts can be distributed to defined audiences.
What Makes a Missing Adult 'Endangered' Under State Law
Minnesota defines a missing person as endangered when law enforcement documents evidence that the individual is at risk of physical injury or death — including cases where the person lacks necessary prescription medication, under Minnesota Statute Section 299C.52, as outlined by the Sherburne County Sheriff's Office. That statutory framework is known as Brandon's Law, named for Brandon Swanson, who had been missing for almost a year, according to the Minnesota House of Representatives. The law requires state law enforcement agencies to immediately accept missing person reports and begin investigating without any mandatory waiting period, regardless of the person's age.
Minnesota has an endangered-person framework for missing-person cases.
White Found Safe
White's case ended quickly and safely.
