Found Deceased WA - Julie Montague Ayers, 67, got separated from her partner while walking the dog, has dementia, Mt Baker Natl Forest, Kendall, 10 Mar 2023

[GuyfromCanada]

KENDALL, Wash. — A Whatcom woman with dementia has been missing since Friday morning

Julie Montague Ayers and her partner were walking their dog on Friday morning. At some point on the walk they were separated and she has not been seen since.

Authorities were alerted around 3:00 p.m. Friday and since then, search parties and groups, including law enforcement, family and community groups have been looking for her.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection flew the area on Friday and Sumas police also deployed a drone to search the wooded area for her.

She was last seen wearing knee-high rubber boots and a long, teal and white wool coat.

Montague is 67 years old, 5' 4" and has white hair.

According to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office, those who want to assist in search efforts can check in with officials at the parking lot of the realtor's office at the entrance to Peaceful Valley on Kendall Road.

Any tips should be reported to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s office at 360-676-6911 and reference case #23A-7840.

Woman with dementia missing in Mt. Baker National Forest

Julie Montague Ayers and her partner were walking their dog on Friday morning, they got separated and she has not been seen since.

www.king5.com

Montague Ayers and her partner were walking their dog together in Mount Baker National Forest when they became separated around 9:30 am.

She was last seen in Kendall.

Kendall Woman Reported Missing In Mount Baker Nat'l Forest | 790 KGMI

The woman was reported missing after going on a walk Friday.

kgmi.com

 

[GuyfromCanada]

They've got separated at about 9:30 AM, and authorities were called around 3o PM. A bit of a delay, no? How bad is Julie's dementia? Where would she go? Are there wild animals around? Hopefully Julie will be found safe very soon.

 

[GuyfromCanada]

On March 10, deputies responded to the report of missing 67-year-old Julie Montague-Ayers from Maple Falls. Ms. Montague-Ayers and her partner became separated while on a walk. When Ms. Montague-Ayers did not return home and after searching the local area, the partner called 911 around 1:50 pm. A Search and Rescue mission was activated and the area was searched by a US Customs helicopter, the Sumas Police Department’s drone, members of Kendall Fire and Summit to Sound ground searchers and K9s.

The SAR operation continued on Saturday, March 11 which included Summit to Sound K9s and ground searchers, as well as drone support again from Sumas Police Department. There were also many volunteers helping in the search on Saturday. The search will continue on Sunday.

Ms. Montague-Ayers suffers from moderate-level dementia. She is 5’5” and 125 lbs with silver shoulder-length hair with blue eyes. She was wearing red knee-high rubber boots and a knee-length blue, teal and white patterned wool coat, similar to the one shown in the photo.

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More details in search for missing Maple Falls woman | Whatcom News

She became separated from her partner while on a walk.

whatcom-news.com

 

[LadyL]

oh no she must be so scared
really hope they find her soon

 

[Unalienable Rights]

A Silver Alert was issued.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1634776918233956353

 

[GraceG]

I hope they find her today. There's a winter storm headed that direction. It's 44 F. there now and has been in the 30's at night. Snow and/or heavy rain would be very dangerous at those temps. Kendall, WA Weather Forecast and Conditions - The Weather Channel | Weather.com

 

[Springrain]

Thanks for posting. This is in my backyard. I'm hopeful to see more details ASAP. The weather hasn't been great, it's important that Julie is found ASAP.

 

[annpats]

I wonder how she became separated from her husband?
Was he distracted by the dog momentarily? Did the dog run off?
Did he attend to a call of nature?

He must feel awful, but perhaps this wasn't the ideal situation for her to be in to start with. You cannot take your eyes off a person with dementia on a walk in the wilderness for ONE second.

Neither person goes on ahead. Neither person lags behind. Keep in physical contact by linking arms or holding hands.

The 4 hour 20 minute window before calling the authorities concerns me.
I wouldn't leave it that long for a person without dementia!

MOO.

 

[annpats]

Last seen walking the network of trails near the Sprague Valley Drive vicinity.
There are houses in the area, but also water too, and quarries.
Needless to say, the forest areas are quite sense looking also.

 

[Springrain]

I wonder how she became separated from her husband?
Was he distracted by the dog momentarily? Did the dog run off?
Did he attend to a call of nature?

He must feel awful, but perhaps this wasn't the ideal situation for her to be in to start with. You cannot take your eyes off a person with dementia on a walk in the wilderness for ONE second.

Neither person goes on ahead. Neither person lags behind. Keep in physical contact by linking arms or holding hands.

The 4 hour 20 minute window before calling the authorities concerns me.
I wouldn't leave it that long for a person without dementia!

MOO.

Especially in an area like Kendall. This part of Washington is very beautiful, but very wooded and rural - not at all the place you would want to get lost in even if you didn't have dementia. It's easy enough (very easy) for an able-bodied lucid person to accidentally get severely or fatally injured and/or super lost in areas like this (you can find many such instances of this on WS with hikers and backpackers getting lost and never being recovered in WA), but for someone with dementia it's 1000x worse. To be frank I have to question why her partner decided to bring her on a walk there.

People really underestimate how easy it is to get forever lost in rural parts of the country, especially in areas with weather conditions like rain or snow. It is not very snowy here, but very rainy and very easy for even young, able-bodied people to slip and fall somewhere and never even have remains found. I can't even imagine how many missing hikers there are in the US who have slipped and fallen to their death into a ravine or some other small, hidden area of a trail.

I also have concerns about the shockingly long window of time before calling LE especially for someone with dementia.

 

[WingsOverTX]

MISSING PERSON UPDATE

On March 10, WCSO deputies responded to the report of missing 67-year-old Julie Montague-Ayers from Maple Falls. Ms. Montague-Ayers and her partner became separated while on a walk on a trail system in the Peaceful Valley neighborhood near Kendall.

A Search and Rescue mission was activated and the area was searched by a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter, the Sumas Police Department’s drone, members of Kendall Fire (Whatcom County Fire District 14) and Summit to Sound Search & Rescue ground searchers and K9s. The SAR operation continued on Saturday and Sunday, March 11 and 12 which included Summit to Sound K9s and ground searchers, as well as drone support again from Sumas Police Department. Numerous community members also participated in the search and provided support during the past 3 days. Alerts were sent out on Saturday asking residents in the area to search outbuildings and sheds. A Washington State Silver Alert was also activated by the Washington State Patrol (linked below).

The investigation continues today, Monday, March 13. No foul play is suspected at this time. Another alert was sent out to a wider audience on Monday, March 13 again asking residents to check yards, sheds and outbuildings. While the official ground search has been suspended, subsequent searches may be conducted.

Ms. Montague-Ayers suffers from moderate-level dementia. She is 5’5” and 125 lbs with silver shoulder-length hair with blue eyes. She was wearing red knee-high rubber boots and a knee-length blue, teal and white patterned wool coat, similar to the one shown in the alert.

The public is asked to please call 911 with any additional information.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0aHQTYQAKff6iM8Repas4KrGHUR2qHfwnmtbELXpb6h83XEoWNS5Luykc5niV9hj1l&id=100064821302615&mibextid=Nif5oz

BBM

 

[slowpoke]

Especially in an area like Kendall. This part of Washington is very beautiful, but very wooded and rural - not at all the place you would want to get lost in even if you didn't have dementia. It's easy enough (very easy) for an able-bodied lucid person to accidentally get severely or fatally injured and/or super lost in areas like this (you can find many such instances of this on WS with hikers and backpackers getting lost and never being recovered in WA), but for someone with dementia it's 1000x worse. To be frank I have to question why her partner decided to bring her on a walk there.

People really underestimate how easy it is to get forever lost in rural parts of the country, especially in areas with weather conditions like rain or snow. It is not very snowy here, but very rainy and very easy for even young, able-bodied people to slip and fall somewhere and never even have remains found. I can't even imagine how many missing hikers there are in the US who have slipped and fallen to their death into a ravine or some other small, hidden area of a trail.

I also have concerns about the shockingly long window of time before calling LE especially for someone with dementia.

Maybe there was some denial involved on the partner’s part on the seriousness of Julie’s impairment. Moo. In the video of the article I’ve linked, the newscaster says something like the Sheriff’s office said it was “not unusual” that the two separated. It wasn’t elaborated upon, so I’m not sure what it meant.
Woman with dementia missing in Mt. Baker National Forest

 

[annpats]

To be frank I have to question why her partner decided to bring her on a walk there.

Exactly. A walk in the wilderness sounds a bit risk-prone in the first place. But to lose sight of her in that environment is a little negligent. People with dementia can often be like young children - and they often need looking after like young children too.

I also have concerns about the shockingly long window of time before calling LE especially for someone with dementia.

Yes. This. Four hours is unthinkable! Why would you not call 911 within 20-30 mins of looking around yourself?

 

[annpats]

While the official ground search has been suspended, subsequent searches may be conducted.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?st...c5niV9hj1l&id=100064821302615&mibextid=Nif5oz

Whaaaaat? They've stopped searching for her already?!
They don't give you long. Just 3 days. Oh my. It doesn't sound enough.

 

[Springrain]

Whaaaaat? They've stopped searching for her already?!
They don't give you long. Just 3 days. Oh my. It doesn't sound enough.

I've noticed this being a trend here in a lot of recent MP cases - only looking for a few days. Not a fan of it.

 

[Gut_feeling]

Could officials be suspending the search because they have discovered/received information that contradicts original reports about where Julie was last seen? In other words, maybe she was never "lost on a walk"? I just don't understand how else you can justify suspending a search for a vulnerable individual, unless they have reason to believe she is not in the woods.

 

[Snoopster]

Maybe there was some denial involved on the partner’s part on the seriousness of Julie’s impairment. Moo. In the video of the article I’ve linked, the newscaster says something like the Sheriff’s office said it was “not unusual” that the two separated. It wasn’t elaborated upon, so I’m not sure what it meant.
Woman with dementia missing in Mt. Baker National Forest

Perhaps it was a misstatement, but in the video at the link they said that her partner "returned alone and she hasn't been seen since".

I had wondered at first if they had been simply walking in their neighborhood, but now I see that they are from Maple Falls and they had been walking in the area of Sprague Road. So it seems that they were going for a walk near nature trails? Was this typical for them?

ETA: has her partner spoken to media? Perhaps they could provide more specifics?

 

[annpats]

I've noticed this being a trend here in a lot of recent MP cases - only looking for a few days. Not a fan of it.

No, nor me. Going missing Friday and stopping searching on Monday is not acceptable.
Some missing people have searches going on for weeks.
If the search gets called off early, maybe it depends on lack funds or lack of people?
Or maybe they just don't think the missing person will be found?
Heartbreaking. It could be one of our own relatives.

 

[annpats]

I had wondered at first if they had been simply walking in their neighborhood, but now I see that they are from Maple Falls and they had been walking in the area of Sprague Road. So it seems that they were going for a walk near nature trails? Was this typical for them?

Yes, it's a distance of approx. 6 miles from their house. So, still quite local to them.
But given her condition, I think a little walk around a small suburban park would've been better and more manageable.

I mean, a winter walk on a cold day, in a rural area, on trails in heavy forest, near water, abandoned mines, cougars etc....that would be crazy for most able-minded people!

I wonder if there were many other walkers out on those trails? Nobody has reported seeing her at all.

 

[Springrain]

Yes, it's a distance of approx. 6 miles from their house. So, still quite local to them.
But given her condition, I think a little walk around a small suburban park would've been better and more manageable.

I mean, a winter walk on a cold day, in a rural area, on trails in heavy forest, near water, abandoned mines, cougars etc....that would be crazy for most able-minded people!

I wonder if there were many other walkers out on those trails? Nobody has reported seeing her at all.

My father is older with health issues and goes walking alone daily on unincorporated forested trails that are known to have landslides, cougars, bears, water, etc. This is in a less rural area of WA, BTW. He's reported very rarely seeing other walkers when he is on certain trails and there are certain ones that he has never seen another person on. These kinds of stories are why I am so fearful when he does this!
I don't know this specific trail Julie disappeared from, but I wouldn't be surprised if walkers on the trail are rare and if you can go hours without seeing somebody, because that would not be unheard of.