Project Lifesaver Brings Missing Family Member Home

The Prince Edward County Sheriff’s Office received a call on Tuesday morning that an elderly gentleman had wandered away from his home in the Green Bay area.

Thankfully, the man was wearing a Project Lifesaver bracelet. Deputies from Prince Edward and Charlotte County quickly arrived on scene with radios specially designed to help find the wandering person. A radio in the squad car indicates when the person wearing the bracelet is within a mile. To further narrow down the search, a handheld radio with a directional antenna pinpoints the direction of the bracelet and first responders then hike into the woods to find the person.

The bracelet led Lt. Jimmy Farley from the Prince Edward Sheriff’s Office and Deputy Johnny Wright from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office through the woods straight to the lost man. First responders from the Meherrin Volunteer Rescue Squad arrived on scene and carried the shoeless man out of the woods. The man was returned to his home uninjured, thanks in no small part to the efforts of the Sheriff’s Office and the Project Lifesaver bracelet.

Project Lifesaver is a program offered by the Sheriff’s Office to help families with individuals that have a tendency to wander. A bracelet worn by the individual broadcasts a unique radio signal that can be tracked. When the family discovers that the person is missing, a deputy can quickly find the person before they succumb to the elements.

If you’re interested in Project Lifesaver for someone in your family, call 434-392-8101 and ask for Lt. Farley in Prince Edward County, or call 434-542-5141 in Charlotte County. The cost is minimal: $300 for the first year in Prince Edward and $20 per month after that to cover the cost of batteries for the bracelet. A deputy goes out once a month and changes the battery in the bracelet to insure that a lost person’s bracelet will be broadcasting loud and clear.