Woman Wanders Away at Dawn, Taipei Police Find Her Across District Using Tracker

A 66-year-old woman who left home alone before dawn and failed to return was found wandering on a roadside in another Taipei district after police combined street-camera footage with her location device.

Officers from the Wenshan Second Precinct’s Wansheng Police Station began searching after her family reported her missing. They gathered details about her clothing and usual routes, then reviewed surveillance footage along the roads she may have taken. At the same time, they tracked the signal from a device provided by her family.

The location data showed that the woman had walked out of Wenshan District. Police followed the trail to the intersection of Heping East Road and Leye Street in Da’an District, where they spotted her alone and appearing confused. They approached her, offered reassurance and confirmed her identity by comparing her with a photograph.

Officers immediately contacted the family and stayed with the woman until relatives arrived. Nearby shopkeepers also brought cold drinks for the woman and the officers while they waited. Her family thanked the police and the local businesses after taking her home safely.

The Wenshan Second Precinct said families caring for older people who may wander can apply through Taipei’s Social Welfare Department for an anti-wandering bracelet or arrange fingerprint registration. Police said those records can help identify a missing person and contact relatives more quickly. The precinct also urged residents who encounter an apparently lost older person to offer help safely and notify police.