BIDDEFORD — The 79-year-old Biddeford woman missing since Wednesday afternoon has been found after being involed in a minor car accident in Lowell, Massachustts.

Audrey M. Brown, who has dementia, left Biddeford around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday to visit a relative in Alfred, police said Thursday morning. 

But when Brown failed to arrive at her destination in the Keywood Manor area of Alfred by 6 a.m. Thursday, police began searching for her, asking the public’s help in identifying her location.

Biddeford Dep. Police Chief JoAnne Fisk said Thursday afternoon Brown had been located in Lowell after being seen in Massachusetts earlier in the day.

“We received a call from Lowell General Hospital in Lowell, MA that she was involved in a minor accident in Lowell. Due to her altered mental state of dementia she was transported to the hospital,” Fisk said in an email. “Her family has been notified and thanks to all of you for the media coverage.”

Fisk had previously said Brown was last seen around 11 a.m. driving along Rt. 125 in Haverhill, Massachusetts, toward the New Hampshire border. Fisk said a motorist notified area police of an erratic driver on the route, whose license plate mateched that of Brown’s.

Officers arrived on the scene, Fisk said, but were unable to locate Brown.

Police had issued a Silver Alert for Brown. A Silver Alert is a recovery program for missing adults who are developmentally impaired or suffer from dementia or some other cognitive impairment, akin to a child Amber Alert.

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or abennett@journaltribune.com.

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