An 86-year-old Ocala woman with Alzheimer’s disease who vanished from a local hotel Tuesday afternoon was contacted by Titusville police roughly 12 hours later, nearly 90 miles away. Mary Wallace had last been seen leaving the hotel around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday behind the wheel of a white 2018 Ford F-150 with a bed topper and a Tennessee license plate, prompting a Silver Alert overnight. She later returned to Ocala Wednesday night and was found safe by deputies.
Marion County sheriff’s deputies issued the Silver Alert after Wallace disappeared from the Ocala hotel, according to wcjb.com. Deputies said she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a detail that heightened urgency around the search as investigators worked to track down her truck, bearing Tennessee plate 58851PD.
Authorities believed Wallace might be headed toward the Orlando area. The Titusville Police Department made contact with her at around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, per the same report. She was later found safe after returning to Marion County.
How the Search Unfolded Overnight
The gap between Wallace leaving the hotel Tuesday afternoon and officers finding her early Wednesday morning stretched through the night, with deputies relying on the description of her distinctive truck and its out-of-state plate to narrow the search. The Marion County Sheriff's Office also posted information about Wallace on social media as part of the effort to get the word out, according to WESH 2 News.
WESH 2 News reported that Wallace stands 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighs around 120 pounds, and has gray hair and brown eyes. The station's report also noted that deputies believed she may have been traveling toward Orlando. Titusville police made contact with her early Wednesday, and Marion County deputies found her safe after she returned to Ocala Wednesday night.
Why Silver Alerts Matter for Residents With Dementia
Silver Alerts are issued when law enforcement determines that a missing older adult, often one with a cognitive impairment like Alzheimer’s, may be in danger and needs urgent public assistance to be located. In Wallace’s case, authorities issued the alert while she was missing, and Titusville police made contact with her Wednesday morning before she was later found safe after returning to Marion County.
Throughout the search, authorities asked anyone with information about Wallace’s whereabouts to call 911, a request that applied while she remained unaccounted for overnight. The case spanned nearly 90 miles, with Titusville police making contact with Wallace hours after she was last seen at the Ocala hotel.
