Dementia Grandma Covered in Bruises Found 6 Hours After Disappearance... "Looking for Witnesses"

"Not Injuries Likely from a Fall... Possibility of Assault"

An elderly woman in her 80s suffering from dementia was found with bruises after being missing for six hours, prompting the police to investigate the possibility of assault.

On the 18th, a post titled "Looking for witnesses to the assault on a dementia grandmother" was uploaded on an online community. The family of the 80-year-old woman, Ms. A, stated, "Our grandmother, who suffers from dementia, was assaulted while she was missing," and attached photos showing bruises around her eyes. In the photos, the eyelids are bruised and swollen dark blue, with clear red blood marks on her forehead and below her nose.

[Photo by Online Community BobaeDream Capture]

Ms. A’s son said, “She has a severe orbital fracture,” adding, “There was a lot of blood pooled around her eyes, so an emergency procedure was performed to drain the blood at the ER, and her left hip joint was also dislocated, for which she underwent surgery yesterday.”

According to the family, Ms. A, who suffers from dementia, visited an ophthalmology clinic near Uijeongbu Station with her son around 1:30 PM on the 14th. While her son was inside the examination room, Ms. A left the hospital alone.

The family immediately reported her missing to the police, and Ms. A was found at Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital around 7:40 PM. About an hour before she was found, a 119 emergency call was made, and Ms. A was located near the Yuyang Samgeori intersection in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, about 6 km from Uijeongbu Station.

However, after six hours, Ms. A’s face appeared as if she had been assaulted by someone. Her son said, “The police at the local station and the paramedics said it looked like her facial injuries were caused by a fall, but these are definitely not injuries from a fall. My grandmother also said someone hit her.”

He added, “The bruises and wounds on her hands and face are not from falling but from assault. We have no idea how this happened,” and requested, “If anyone witnessed a staggering or assaulted elderly woman near the Yuyang Samgeori intersection between 6:00 PM and 6:50 PM on the 14th, or has black box footage, please contact us.”

Netizens who read the story responded with comments such as, “These injuries definitely don’t look like they came from a fall,” “This needs a proper investigation,” and “There should be nearby public safety CCTV; it would be good to check that first.” The police are currently tracking Ms. A’s movements through CCTV and investigating the possibility of assault.

Meanwhile, under the Elderly Welfare Act, no one is allowed to protect an elderly person who has left their guardian due to accidents or dementia without justifiable reasons without reporting it to the police or local government.

According to the National Police Agency, the number of missing dementia patients has been increasing over the past six years, with 10,308 cases in 2017, surpassing 10,000, 12,479 cases in 2019, and 14,527 cases in 2022.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.