IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — A bracelet has been designed to find people with mental health challenges if they wander away.
It’s called Project Lifesaver, and earlier this week, it was used to find an elderly man who had been reported missing in Iredell County.
Channel 9’s Almiya White spoke with a mother who enrolled her son in the program.
Heidi Sargent said her 7-year-old son has been diagnosed with autism and tends to run off.
Three years ago, Sargent decided to enroll him in the Project Lifesaver program.
“He thinks it’s a watch. He thinks it’s pretty cool,” Sargent said. “We live really super close to the water, and so that was a big thing that I asked him when we enrolled: will it detect the water? And he said, Yes.”
Luckily, Sargent said she hasn’t had to put the bracelet to the test. However, she knows it’s effective.
On Monday, deputies used the system to track an elderly man’s bracelet who had been reported missing from his home in Mooresville.
Detective Cody James said they were able to locate the man in less than an hour, unharmed.
“If they found him within an hour, that makes me comfortable with him keeping it on in case we ever have to use it, that they can find him and everything will be okay,” said Sargent.
The program is free of charge. You can enroll by stopping by the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office or by calling their number at 704-878-3180.
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