CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — A 79-year-old woman who was reported missing on Sept. 13 from Helms-Gordon Residential Care in Fort Lawn has been found alive, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities said Thursday a drone spotted Judy Pate in a wooded area along Cemetery Road, which had already been searched.
“Around 11 a.m., a group of guys looked at that map again that was reviewed a thousand times and said, ‘This is what we’re going to do,’” said Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey. “They got our drone operator and said, ‘Let’s go down and do this,’ and it happened. There’s no doubt God led them down there.”
Family members were relieved.
“It’s really emotional because you expect the worse, but here today, we’ve come to realize that God had a plan,” said David Elliot, Pate’s nephew.
“She’s in good spirits,” Elliot said. “She was moving a little. She was found at the bottom of a ravine. A creek bed. She was talking.”
Volunteers, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division helicopter and multiple agencies helped with the search.
Pate’s pastor, Rev. Trent McLaughlin, helped with the search.
“She is a strong lady,” McLaughlin said. “She trusts God. She has faith in God and that is what we’re putting our hope and faith in that. That she’s going to be found alive and safe.”
An ambulance rushed her to a medical helicopter that flew her to the hospital to be checked out.
On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the Pate family announced that DHEC was launching an investigation into Helms-Gordon Residential Care.
They issued a statement regarding the investigation saying:
“The Pate family has received and reviewed the results of the initial investigation into the Helms-Gordon Facility performed by DHEC. To say they are disgusted and upset with the findings would be an understatement. Helms-Gordon was cited multiple times for violations of the State imposed standards of care. The investigation indicates that Ms. Judy was missing for hours before anyone at Helms-Gordon was even aware. Furthermore, the investigation states that upon discovering that Ms. Judy was missing, Helms-Gordon waited hours before contacting the Chester County Sheriff’s Office. This delayed response to authorities is abhorrent, and unforgivable. We intend to pursue every avenue of justice to ensure that no other person or family has to undergo this type of nightmare due to the inactions of an irresponsible facility.”
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